Back of the Book An old man, going on a lone highway, Came, at the evening, cold and grey, To a chasm, vast and deep and wide, Through which was flowing a sullen tide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim; the sullen stream had no fears for him; but he turned, when safe on the other side, and built a bridge to span the tide. "Old man ' said a fellow pilgrim, near, "You are wasting strength with building here; your journey will end with the ending day you never again must pass this way. You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide -Why build you the bridge, at even tide?" The builder lifted his old grey head: "Good friend, in the path I have come," he said, "There followeth after me today, A youth, whose feet must pass this way, This chasm that has been naught to me To that fair youth may a pitfall be. He too must cross in the twilight dim; Good friend, I'm building the bridge for him."
Preface Doesn't Nation-building actually mean building the character and shaping the personality of its people? The primary role in building the personality of the citizens is that of parents. But, in today's world, it appears that parents are not really capable of making good citizens out of their children. We don't need elaborate social surveys or Gallop polls to realise this. Just look at the behaviour, attitudes and speech patterns of the boys and girls around us and it will be obvious. It is a painful truth that in most cases, today's younger generation does not behave decently with their own parents! Indeed, what will be the standard of their behaviour at the social and national levels! Therefore, the most important role in building value-based citizens is that of parents. And the next important role is that of teachers. When it comes to character-building and guiding the lives of the youth in the right direction, there are certain aspects that are beyond the reach of the parents themselves; and those aspects can be contributed by teachers alone.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
