How civilised is our civilisation?

Fri, Sept 7, 2012

Editor: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12

Youth – the generation of today and men and women of tomorrow are expected to uphold a standard of behaviour and consequently generate a certain level of respect for themselves and from the public.{{more}} There are those who struggle to upkeep this outlook, but are unfortunately branded as good-for-nothing because of the masses who continue to maintain the ‘bad egg’ image. This unacceptable behaviour truly pains the heart of our nation. The older heads who disingenuously wear a brooding smile that our country is in ‘good hands’ are silently quaking in their boots of what will be left of their country, should this inopportune momentum continue.

Despite public opinion targeted at the outrageous behaviour of our youth, these individuals still find the opportunity to proceed down the wrong path, without heeding advice, encouragement or even criticism. As youths, we should judge ourselves fairly. Are we really living up to what God expects of us? Are we leading or following fine examples in whatever we do, think or say? Are we honest, truthful, obedient, faithful, and virtuous and understand the true meaning of our bodies being the temple of God?

I am well aware that there are a fair handful of our youth who try their best to make a positive difference. With this in mind, let us focus on increasing their numbers by reforming the character of those who stray. Parents must be mindful of the friends their children keep; ensure their child is not a bad influence; and fashion a good example by living an honourable lifestyle.

Youth, in any generation have brainwashed themselves with the idea that on turning eighteen, they have become adults. Nonetheless, their actions beg to differ. At this age a grand majority still live with their parents, are funded by their parents, guardians or any other person of interest for housing, education and food. Thus at this stage, they are hardly adults; rather, they are bridging the gap into adulthood and the decisions they make should be well thought out and effectively coincide with how they intend to run their lives when real adulthood hits. Consequently, they should try not to lead adult lives too quickly; and here is where most of the trouble lies.

It is human nature to be attracted to the opposite gender as adolescence sets in. This in itself is nothing new or wrong. However, fostering intimate relationships at this tender age is well beyond the years of our youth. Unbelievably enough, this sort of behaviour has been around for decades and is now becoming too prevalent, as we aim towards an efficacious civilisation. Instead of socializing on a ‘get-to-know’ basis with those impacting their lives and equipping themselves with knowledge and traits they would hope for in a future partner, too many of our simple-minded youth let emotions run wild.

They ignore the tumultuous cries of parents or other concerned citizens, who may or may not have had the same experiences in former years. There are the determined and strong-headed ones who are mindful of their decisions and act wisely, take things slowly and focus on what matters most. Those who prove to outshine their glory, find it fit to procreate more trouble for themselves and the ones who share in their embarrassment. They have unwittingly entered adulthood and realize their mistakes too late, bringing economic predicaments upon themselves, a struggling country, a new mouth to feed and a life to care for….

Elizabeth Bullock