Being a childless adult woman, I don’t often think about children and their development on a regular basis. I am the aunt of 7 nieces and nephews and it is only when I am around them that I start to ponder their development, their innocence, and the wonderful cliché; that they are the future. While some elementary school photos and abstract artwork hang from my fridge, I never think about them in the sense of having the responsibilities of ensuring peace, meaning, and insuring the absence of war in their community. It is something I naturally assume will always be. They are incredibly lucky that their parents can afford to have them grow up in safe neighborhoods; attend decent schools and that they have both their parents in their lives.
More than likely, they will not have to carry the burden that many of the children in central Mindanao do; the burden of being the creators and sustainers of peace in their communities. I am truly hopeful that the various forms of peace education will have a significantly positive effect on the population and the region at large. There appears to be a tension between the peace instruction they receive in school and the violence they experience at home or in their community. A cultural of violence appeared to be engrained in their daily lives, from the presence of weapons by security forces, to the graphic news on the TV and in the papers. There was also the phenomena of professional jealousy, something I had 
never heard before. Where someone is harmed or killed due to their occupational successes. This happened to a peace school’s principal. I remember my own principal dying during my childhood, but it was not from murder. The thought never crossed my mind to ask, if there were other titles that existed to cause harm or death to another. Like many other children in the world, the children of Mindanao are resilient, incredibly intelligent, and super cute. I believe they will ultimately have a positive impact on the peace process and society.
