HiPHILA

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A Happy Nation that Nurtures Kids - May 8, 2008


Among the many different sources of delight that exist in the world, Pestalozzi talked about the joy of parents looking at their children. Merely gazing at children who are as wholesome and pure as angels purifies our hearts and enables us to know happiness of life, just like magic. Giving birth and raising a baby are true blessings from God and our given mission to fulfill. But at some point, the idea of giving birth and raising a baby has taken a negative connotation in our society. Particularly in advanced countries, the issue of child rearing pitted against the growing freedom and desire of women to fulfill a career and the soaring expenses, including education expenses, has engendered a reluctance to have children. Meanwhile, in developing countries with relatively high birthrates, many kids are not properly nurtured, often denied such basic rights as education, hygiene, and even food. This issue of whether to give birth and raise children has become increasingly polarized, requiring the keen interest and strong support at the government level. Giving birth and raising a baby well are not roles only to be shouldered by individuals and families. The joyous mission of rearing children needs to be embraced by all nations and international societies.

Dreaming of a world where people can relish the happiness of raising a child without worries, works selected as the recipients of the Grand Prize as well as the Award of Excellence in the 2008 international postage stamp design contest are issued as new stamps. Isaiah Otieno Nondoh (Kenya) expresses an image of a mother smiling brightly with her baby in her arms. The picture drawn by Jazayeri Shirin (Iran) depicts babies juxtaposed over happy faces in contrast to frowning faces that have no babies in their midst.

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