How to Prevent Young People from Becoming Communists

I’m from an anti-Marcos family. My mother was a Kabataang Makabayan activist. She organized protests against the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. when she was the student council vice chair of the University of the Philippines (UP) Baguio. Some of my relatives were persecuted during the Martial Law years. My father rails against the Marcoses until now.

As for me, I studied in UP, a left-leaning university that’s been tagged as a hotbed for recruiting students to join the New People’s Army (NPA). I also had an immature obsession with world-fixing that tended to get in the way of fixing my own life when I was in college. Despite all that, I never became a communist. I was, and still am, a conservative capitalist who strives to be as libertarian as possible.

In this age of deep political divisions, families and religious groups are key to preventing young people from becoming either communists or elitist social justice warriors. To fight Marxism, families and churches should be healthy spaces that will train the youth to serve others instead of looking only after their selfish interests.

Communism is so appealing because it calls the masses to sacrifice their lives to achieve utopian goals for society. On the other hand, many families and churches love to spoil young people. A lot of them encourage the youth to be constantly on the lookout for “what’s in it for me”. I’m blessed though, because my family and the churches that I attended opened my eyes to communism’s evil nature.

Poor Dad, Privileged Mom

Adults in the family, especially the parents, must ensure that they are their children’s primary teachers and counselors. They should always check if the kids’ peers, professors, and favorite influencers are imparting values that are aligned with the family’s. More importantly, elders should be good examples. They must demonstrate a strong work ethic and compassion for others.

I’m grateful that I learned about Martial Law mainly through my mother. She said that as a student leader of a communist front organization in UP, she trekked the Kalinga-Apayao mountains to meet with NPA rebels to discuss their plans for the Filipino youth. She found out straight from the horse’s mouth in that “immersion” that communists want to strip Filipinos of their religions.

Mama balked at this. For one, she didn’t want to abandon her faith. In the first place, she loved the poor and hated corruption because her religion taught her to do so. Second, Filipinos tend to be deeply religious. She believed that they would never abandon their spiritual practices just to serve the state.

Besides, she was not going to give up those Hershey’s Kisses. Or her Adidas shoes.

My father, on the other hand, grew up in a poor family. Despite that, he never protested in the streets to demand more state welfare programs. Papa and his siblings worked hard instead to put each other through school until they attained more comfortable lifestyles. He never overtly told me not to be a communist. Rather, his experiences taught me that setting goals, persevering to achieve them, and voluntarily helping one another are the key to breaking the poverty cycle.

Old Time Religion

Churches are just as essential in defending the youth against communism. They unite people on absolute truths that we must live out in spite of suffering. Much of that suffering is actually caused by communism!

In the first Filipino Evangelical church that I attended as a child, I learned how communists persecute Korean and Chinese Christians because religion challenges their authoritarian rule. Our pastors also exhorted us to emulate South Korean Christians’ outstanding work ethic, intense prayer life, and patriotism, which all contributed to their capitalist country’s prosperity.

The church that I now attend has remained to be a safe space. We don’t have major divisions over politics even if the members voted for different candidates in the last elections. Our senior pastor simply reminded us to bear with one another because our community should be where people find enlightenment and forgiveness.

Moreover, the healthy local church provides young people with opportunities to accomplish great things for God and country. They don’t need to throw their lives away to topple the government! Rather, they can live for a greater cause by excelling in their studies, serving others through their jobs, and participating in various ministries that help the needy.

No wonder the family and the church are under attack! The toxic election campaigns drove young people away from their parents. The lockdowns forced churches to close. If these attacks become worse, the NPA will continue to have steady sources of cash and rebel recruits no matter how hard the government tries to eradicate it.

(Photo by CreateTravel.tv)