Youth today need to broaden their vision and deepen their roots in understanding their culture, tradition, and value systems. When you deepen your roots, it gives you a sense of responsibility and ownership, and a broader vision gives a sense of relaxation. A broader vision and deeper roots mean responsibility with ease, calmness, and equanimity.
Youngsters often worry about what others think of them, their marks, their performance, and how they are perceived, and so much time and effort go into seeking validation. But the truth is nobody has the time to think about anyone. ‘Others’ are busy solving their problems. The second tendency that we need to work on is the tendency of the mind to cling more to the negative than to the positive—this generates more stress within ourselves and within society. How to develop a mind that is positive and happy?
Beyond food, water, and other necessities, you need spiritual strength too. Spiritual strength is something that can lift you out of any adverse situation and make your happiness unshakeable. It is spirituality that fills the vacuum in your life.
Unfortunately, spirituality is seen as something serious or boring. But the truth is, at the heart of each person is a longing for truth, for love, and spirituality can unravel this. One finds solace, strength, and the ability to get results effectively. It brings a sense of community, where everyone cares and shares, and this is what we need today to counter the menace of mental illnesses, isolation, and addictions. That is how, in fact, the Art of Living movement has grown so popular among the youth because they have experienced the joy and peace of the spirit here.
You need to look at life from a bigger context and not just look at what you can gain in the short term. This will bring a shift from “What can I have?” to “What can I give?”—a shift from competition to contribution. To find satisfaction in life, you need to do some service, and to sustain service activities, you need spiritual practises otherwise, you experience burnout.
The youth in India are going back to their roots; they are attempting to understand who they are, their culture, language and lineage. This pride in what is Indian must be strengthened.
