Peace, Security, and Identity: To Be like a Bee

(This is the last part of the 4-part essay Peace, Security and Identity: A proposal for the youth of Southeast Asia) 

(read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)

So in this era of accelerating growth and uncertain futures, only those who are secure in their identities can peacefully navigate the currents of change. It is but practical for the youth to start gaining this knowledge while still young. This also means that for the youth of today the need to learn does not start and end with school and university, but we must be able to travel through life as a bee in a rainforest: to collect tidbits of knowledge from any and all the variety of communities we encounter, and in return, to pollinate these communities with fresh ideas and new directions. In the end of the day, we come home to our hives and make honey, propolis and royal jelly: our provisions for the next day, our strength potions for the future, and our contribution to the next generation.