I and another University of Cambodia (UC) student attended an event that took place at the Ministry of Cults and Religions on July 30. Five monks spoke on the topic of what youth can do better in society. They focused on four of the twelve destructions which monks chant about at dawn during the Pchum Ben Festival and provided real examples in society so that listeners could understand their message. There were roughly 200 people in attendance and included other monks, nuns, older people, and universities students.

The monks explained the four points. The first main point of destruction the monks discussed was adultery. They encouraged people to not cheat on their spouses in order to build healthy and strong families. For the second point, the monks emphasized that people need to find ways to eliminate certain types of passion that are detrimental to their well-being. For example, people can find solace at the temple instead of engaging in negative activities. The third point made by the monks was that society should not elevate people who are not well-organized, -skilled, or -focused into leadership roles. According to the monks, people should think about the capacity, skill, and education of potential leaders so that society can have the most capable leaders. The final point the monks emphasized was that people should be humble and should not be too ambitious if they lack capacity. In particular, if people do not have the skills or ability to accomplish a task, they should not boost or brag about their skills.

University students should attend more events like this because these events can educate our minds and help us to do better things. We can also gain a deeper understanding of religious ceremonies and Buddhism. Finally, these programs help us to preserve our religion, culture, and nationality.

Learning from good religious leaders can be as important as learning from school. If we do not put good knowledge into practice, we will not be able to achieve our goals. Listening to monks teaches people how to be better people. That is why I encourage other students to listen to monks and to participate in more activities like this.