General Colin Powell Reflects on Working Toward Peace

In 1780, during our struggle for independence from Britain, patriot and future president John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail: "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy."

Today, more than two hundred years later, we still live in a world in which we must study politics and war. The good news is that we don't have to study war quite as much.
The century that just ended was the bloodiest ever recorded. Enormous sacrifices were required of our youth to preserve our free way of life. But because they were willing to make those sacrifices, our survival as a nation and as a free people is no longer threatened. Democracy and private enterprise, though not without their faults, have prevailed over the collectivist ideologies that threatened us with destruction.

So the world is a safer place. Many more of our young people have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy and the other arts of peace. But liberty is not quite the same thing as opportunity; the fact that young people are free to develop their abilities and talents in constructive ways does not necessarily mean that they will do so, unless they get help and support from adults.

For that reason, I decided that my next campaign after I retired from the army would be to take up the cause of the next generation. Currently, I chair a national crusade for young people called America's Promise-The Alliance for Youth. The mission of America's Promise is to endow our young people with the character and competence they need to be successful and contributing adult members of society.

We do this by keeping five basic promises to the youth of America. Every child and teenager needs:

An ongoing relationship with a caring adult-a parent, mentor, tutor, or coach;
A safe place with structured activities during nonschool hours;
A healthy start;
A marketable skill through effective education; and
An opportunity to give back through community service.

To keep these five promises, America's Promise is building a great national coalition of government, business, nonprofits, service groups, community activists, and people of faith. Working together, we are striving to give all our young people the opportunity to develop their full potential.

For thirty-five years of my life, I was committed to training young people for the day when they might have to risk their lives in defense of this country and the cause of freedom. Today, I am helping to train a slightly younger age group to prevail in a different struggle-a struggle against drugs, neglect, apathy, ignorance, irresponsible sex, and any other threats that might blight their lives and keep them from being all they were meant to be.

Winning the peace means more than defeating the enemies of freedom. It means seizing the great opportunity we have now to raise a generation that is strong and caring and capable enough to preserve peace and freedom in this new century.

 

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