It's a long-cherished tradition of our nation to respect well-heeled intellectuals and value real talents, even though there has also been an unsaid rule in seniority-based pecking order. This reminds me of a well-known quotation of Confucius: "I'm in awe of the young." The circumstance in which he made this famous remark is recorded in Analects (Lun Yu). Confucius was traveling in a carriage with some of his students one day when they were blocked by a young boy building a sand castle in the middle of the road. One of his students asked the boy to make way for the revered sage, but was told that common sense dictates that vehicles always follow the road around a walled city because the town cannot move itself out of the way. As his student found himself lost for words, Confucius expressed genuine surprise at the boy's quick wit at such a young age. The boy replied, "I heard that a fry can swim just three days after it is hatched, while rabbits and horses begin running three days after birth. So, what does that say about being old or young?" Confucius couldn't but admire the youngster, saying "I'm in awe! Who says the young can only play catch-up?" Aside from inspiring people, this story also illustrates how modest the sage was.

Come to think of it, the entire human history tells us that the young always replace the old. It's the law of nature. Today, with all the modern technology at our disposal, the younger generation in many ways marches alongside the older generation, if not ahead of them.

As for the much-debated group of young people born in the 1980s, off-handedly labeled the "post-80s" by the mainland's market-savvy media, that they can be quite bratty sometimes, simply because they were born in the days when the economy was roaring ahead thanks to the peaceful environment, is to be expected. Who can blame them for being a little cocky, considering their education and the abundance of information at their fingertips as long as they have access to the Internet? A mainland researcher has gone so far as to claim, "They have occupied the information height and are now influencing China from their vantage point." Business leaders everywhere should really take note of these well-informed and smart young people, or they will very soon regret it. The same can be said about the "post-90s" bunch, who will graduate from college and join the rest of us in another decade or so.

Chairman Mao once likened young people to the morning sun at about 9 to 10 o'clock. "The world is yours as well as ours but ultimately yours," he told a group of Chinese youths back in the 1960s. Like it or not, the world embraces each new generation as it has done forever, which is why members of the older generation should greet the younger generation with open arms and try to see things from their perspective. That's the best way to understand young people.

With their youthful energy burning inside, the younger generation can be unruly sometimes and find themselves running into walls because they know little about life. They need proper guidance and mentoring from the older generation, and the latter should never deny the young the chance to learn from their seniors.

On their part the younger generation should always remember that youth fades away really fast, as Confucius continued after exclaiming, "I'm in awe", "Those who have reached 40 or 50 years of age but are still unknown (to the public) will never be awesome." Here's my advice to every youth out there: Waste not your precious youth, learn as much as you can, seize the day to better prepare yourself for tomorrow and win respect from society with outstanding achievements.

The author is chairman of the Hip Shing Hong Group of Companies and managing director of the Kam Wah Investment

Company Limited.

(HK Edition 12/30/2010 page2)