T

he New Year brings new hope. The late psychologist Rick Snyder defines hope as the combination of mental willpower and '€œway power'€ to reach goals.

For the police, that same driving force directs its organization. It motivates all its members to give their best, to go beyond and to serve with their heart through rewards and punishments.

That same motivation should be in the heart of all police officers '€” from the new recruits to those nearing their retirement to those who have already retired. There should be no age limit for those seeking to serve and strive for the better.

During my attendance at the 38th Advanced Command Course hosted by the Royal Thai Police, there were a number of participants (of the senior superintendant rank) over 55 years of age. Some of them were even nearing the retirement age of 58. Why would they attend the training knowing that they were about to retire?

In Thailand, there is no age limit for high ranking officers who want to enroll in advancement courses; there are at least three reasons for that.

First, the purpose of education is to stimulate the interest and the competence to advance. Triumph cannot be achieved without the will to win. Thomas Alva Edison discovered the electric bulb not because of his ingenuity but rather his persistency. He had to undergo 999 failures without giving up to finally succeeded in his 1000th attempt.

The argument to remove this age limit for anyone who wants to enroll in educational courses is based on the ideas of stimulating self-advancement and going beyond. There is no age limit for education; education represents a firm effort for an organization to evolve itself.

There are other dimensions that need to be considered, such as stimulating the spirit of the members towards achieving the organization'€™s goals. The removal of the age limit will be beneficial for the organization as it will create dynamism for every police officer to offer their best to the force.

Every policeman is encouraged to do their best and compete fairly because there is equal treatment. The rule of reward and punishment is valid across the board and it applies to anyone who wishes to advance through training and education.

Second, the objective of education is education itself. The development of education cannot be separated from its effective process of learning and teaching. It is marked by interactions between teachers who transfer knowledge to their students. There is a dynamic environment of interactions and communications.

Such a dynamic learning environment is a precondition for the development of science and the formation of modern education. The sharing of the best practices can contribute to quality as well. Organizers of the Advanced Command Course are very aware that education represents life itself.

A dynamic learning environment will become even livelier when every student becomes the learning source as well, thus enhancing the quality of the education. Hence, the idea to introduce the subject of best practices by accepting students from other departments and other countries and waiving the age limit for officers who want to join the course.

Education should no longer be exclusive but inclusive to broaden its search for knowledge. This policy opens the opportunity for postgraduate students '€” most of them are no longer young '€” to participate actively in the course and to share knowledge for the advancement of the course itself and for the police organization as a whole. Their professional experience and knowledge constitute the basis for innovations.

Third, education can give birth to new hopes. The philosophical consequence is that there should be no limitation on hope.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island, South Africa. The cold prison walls did not discourage him from fighting the politics of apartheid. Through his writings prior, during and after his imprisonment he became known as the crusader of anti-apartheid and later on became the first African president in South Africa.

During his term in power, many were disappointed because Mandela did not retaliate against those who imprisoned him. After relinquishing his power in May 1994, he continued his crusade as an activist for peace.

Mandela has inspired the world through his beliefs and actions, bringing new hopes that have echoed after his death until today. His thoughts have been spread across the world.

The learning point here is that the quality of an individual is set by his attitude and thoughts. Putting an age limit to anyone wanting to advance, learn and broaden knowledge and enroll and pursue education is restricting his or her spirit of competence, which in itself contradicts natural selection.

Natural selection will select the fastest, strongest and fittest; that requires the spirit to triumph. A winner will never quit and a quitter will never win.

Let nature decide; there is no '€œmonkey business'€ in natural selection. Everybody deserves an opportunity to survive not because of age but thought, wisdom and good judgment.

Let us hope it is so!