Today, there is a general feeling that the youth in the present social set-up are deprived of the opportunities of growth and development and also participation in the affairs of the family, the state and the society.
And therefore, it is thought that the youth are disappointed, disillusioned and restless and that is one of the reasons why they indulge in violent and destructive activities.
It is usually noticed that in the present-day set-up, the main emphasis is on the economic, social, political and even the physical aspects of three 'key words' – growth, development and participation, whereas the moral and the spiritual aspects are generally neglected. It is hardly realised by our policy makers that a person can neither be in a happy frame of mind nor in a healthy state of body if his/her moral growth and spiritual development are neglected.
Hence, a man may grow physically to be a giant and may monetarily be a billionaire but he may spiritually be a pigmy and morally a wreck. The net result of this would be that he would have to lead his life on the crutches of intoxicating and addictive drugs or any other harmful means of relief from stress and would have wasteful, anti-social, criminal or suicidal tendencies. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that moral and spiritual growth form the base of all other kinds of growth and development.
Mahatma Gandhi believed in creating from youth a cadre of inspiring and competent role models and change agents with the courage of conviction who in turn will trigger off the process of building a healthy nation. The youth, it must be known, are like a double-edged sword; they can be used to destroy an enemy in its hide-outs or, alternatively, they can also spread terror in their own territory by saber-rattling.
Hence, if they are instigated to sit in strike and to go wild so as to wreck the national property, and to point daggers at those whom their nation has appointed as their teachers, and to indulge in acts of arson and rampage at the slightest provocation, then, they would become an army who will pull down the structure of their own nation without any remorse. Let us, therefore, be wiser to consider our youths to be our present working strength, and our prospective nation-builders, for, “the youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow but also the partners of today”.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK. He can be contacted at nikunjji@gmail.com / www.brahmakumaris.com
