LIFE’S LESSONS
By Henrylito D. Tacio
“Our nation is filled with the tremendous energy of the youth. Whatever future we desire of, we must keep the youth at the center. If we do this, we can surge ahead at an unmatchable pace!” – Narendra Modi
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These days, we tend to think of younger generations as “so entitled” and “not-so-disciplined.” We feel like they don’t pay respect to elders anymore. Some of these young ones also tend to have mental health problems like depression and anxiety, and this is probably the reaason why we always hear about young people committing suicide.
But today’s young people can accomplish more compared to those in the past.
Sophia and Jan Alexander
Take the case of Sophia Ferrer Ladaran, the daughter of US-based nurses from Davao City, who is currently making waves in the world of fashion. She is an image model for top brands in the US, starting her career at the very young age of three.
Among the brands Sophia modelled for were Gap, Skiphop, Nike, Levi’s, Hurley, Care.com, Disney, Nickelodeon, 3Brand, and High Sierra. “Sophia works with a well-known agency in New York City,” says mother Joanna. “Brands contact the agency directly if they want to work with Sophia.”
Sophia has always loved fashion even as a toddler, according to her mother. “One day, someone suggested that I submit her to a modelling agency,” Joanna recalled. “I just did it on a whim and was not expecting to hear back. I actually ended up forgetting that I even submitted.”
Now seven, Sophia manages to keep a good balance between school and modelling. “Sophia knows that modelling is more of a hobby, and she understands that school is very important,” Joanna said. “She maintains her grades and actually does very well in school despite having to miss some days for modelling.”
A few years ago, the Philippine Daily Inquirer published a story of a Filipino-American pupil from Watsessing School in Bloomfield, New Jersey who published a book. What was awesome about it is that he was only six years old at that time.
The report stated: “I Am Jan Alexander was written and illustrated by Jan Quintos, the youngest of three children of Alex and Ethel Quintos. The book has three short stories spread over 24 pages, with illustrations on every page, which Jan himself had sketched. He could be one of the country’s youngest self-published authors.”
(Young) age doesn’t really matter
Sophia and Jan are living examples that when it comes to passion and work, age doesn’t matter. Niño Muhlach was only 4 years old when he appeared opposite Fernando Poe, Jr. in Ang Leon at ang Daga (1975), which became a box-office phenomenon. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was already competent on keyboard and violin when he was still a little kid; in fact, he composed from the age of 5.
Shirley Temple was only 6 when she became a Hollywood phenomenon, starring in Bright Eyes. Tatum O’Neal was only 10 years old when she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 1973’s Paper Moon. Anna Paquin was 11 years old when she also won an Oscar for her supporting role in 1993’s The Piano.
At the age of 12, Anne Frank wrote in her diary, and her memoirs eventually became the classic The Diary of Anne Frank, which was later turned into a movie. At 13, Magnus Carlsen became a chess Grandmaster, while Nadia Comaneci, 14, a gymnast from Romania, scored seven perfect 10.0 and won three gold medals at the Olympics.
Pele, a soccer superstar, was 17 years old when he won the World Cup in 1958 with Brazil. At the age of 18, Lea Salonga originated the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, first presented in the West End in London and then on Broadway in New York, winning the Olivier and Theatre World Awards and becoming the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award.
Singer Elvis Presley was only 19 when he became a superstar. Carlos Edriel Yulo who, at the age of 19, became the toast of Philippine sports when he ruled the floor exercise final and that gave the Philippines its first-ever gold medal in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship.
John Lennon was 20 years old while Paul McCartney was only 18 when the Beatles had their first concert in 1961. Timothy Hutton was 20 years old when he won the Best Supporting Oscar in 1980 for his performance in Ordinary People.
Marlee Matlin holds the record of the youngest Oscar winner for Best Actress when she won it for her performance in 1986’s Children of a Lesser God; she was 21 when she clinched the award. Jennifer Lawrence was 22 when she won her Academy Award for 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook.
At the age of 22, Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the Olympics that was held in Berlin in 1936. Ludwig van Beethoven was a piano virtuoso by age 23 while Isaac Newton wrote Philisophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica at age 24.
Roger Bannister, a British middle-distance athlete and neurologist, was 25 when he broke the 4-minute mile record. At the age of 26, Albert Einstein wrote The Theory of Relativity, which revolutionized theoretical physics and astronomy during the 20th century.
Italian sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon created two of the greatest sculptures known to man, David and Pieta, by age 28. Adrien Brody was 29 when he received the Best Actor Oscar for his role in 2002’s The Pianist; it is a record he still holds today.
The following personalities did some awesome accomplishments when they were in their 30s: J.K. Rowling was 30 years old when she finished the first manuscript of Harry Potter, which became a world phenomenon. Richard Dreyfuss was already 30 years old when he got his Oscar for his lead role in 1977’s The Goodbye Girl.
Amelia Earhart was 31 when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Oprah Winfrey was 32 when she started her talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind.
Also, at the age of 32, Randy Halasan received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in recognition of “his purposeful dedication in nurturing his Matigsalug students and their community to transform their lives through quality education and sustainable livelihoods, doing so in ways that respect their uniqueness and preserve their integrity as indigenous peoples in a modernizing Philippines.”
To end this column, allow me to quote the words of Pearl S. Buck: “The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible – and achieve it, generation after generation.” – ###
