By: BK Atam Prakash
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2414/the-daily-guardian-chandigarh/15
Dated: May 10th, 2025

Young people are generally regarded as a potential source of positive change. Governments and organisations try to channel their vigour and enthusiasm in order to foster in them a positive identity, resilience, and help in their overall development. This is seen as crucial for economic and social progress in communities and nations. 

According to the United Nations, there have never been so many young people in the world as now, and they represent a great potential for economic and social growth. While their potential is vast, the realities surrounding the youth today are not all encouraging. There was a time when youth was considered the best phase of one’s life, romanticised and envied by those past their prime. But now, young people are associated with unemployment, disorder, violence, and substance abuse. In some communities, they are seen as a nuisance. 

Why has this promising segment of the population come to be regarded as a source of problems? There are several reasons for this.

Too many of the world’s young people are trapped in insecurity, with few opportunities to learn or earn a decent living, and little hope for the future. Growing populations and sluggish economies are increasing competition for jobs. Technological advancements are putting more jobs beyond the reach of those without higher education or advanced training. A lot of young people thus remain out of work or stuck in low-paying jobs. The resulting economic hardship takes a psychological toll, and many of them become resentful of an economic order they see as unjust. Their feelings are sometimes vented through extremism and violence, or they resign themselves to an unhappy existence. Many turn to alcohol and drugs in a misguided attempt to escape their miseries, while some take to a life of crime.

While economic and social factors do create conditions in which young people end up as unproductive or undesirable elements in society, they do not entirely explain this phenomenon. Even individuals from privileged backgrounds who have never encountered deprivation pick up harmful habits and ideas, and end up as drug addicts, criminals, or terrorists.

The reason many young people take the wrong turn at some point in their life is a weak moral compass, which fails to show them the right way. Governments spend a lot of money on providing a good education for the young, but little attention is paid to the values they pick up. From a young age, children are told, or come to believe, that success, and by extension happiness, will come from getting good grades and a well-paying job. In today’s overtly materialistic milieu, the role models for young people are those who have become very rich or famous through exceptional skill or talent. Some of these high-achieving individuals have their faults, but impressionable youngsters nevertheless copy them, in the process picking up wasteful or harmful habits. When these idolised celebrities do something wrong, the message that goes out to their adoring fans is that it is all right to make mistakes as we are merely human.

When youngsters see political and religious leaders, business tycoons, and top sportspersons getting embroiled in scandals, many of them conclude that it is pointless to remain upright: it is smarter to get ahead by hook or by crook as that is what everybody is doing. The rebel types become convinced that all means are justified to correct a system that is loaded against the underprivileged.

It is here that spiritual education can play a role. Everyone, especially the young, need to know that the true worth of a person is measured by their character. I could be a billionaire, but if I am arrogant, dishonest, and selfish, I will get little love or respect. Wealth, fame, and flamboyance may impress people for some time, but what touches their hearts is kindness, humility, and integrity. These values do not just please others; one who has them is rewarded with peace of mind, a sense of satisfaction, and happy relationships. Such individuals win the trust of others and are offered opportunities that everyone does not get. 

The materialistic mantra is: grab more to get more. In the process, you deprive and antagonise others and no one would like to share anything with you. You are soon isolated and find yourself the target of resentment and hostility. The spiritual principle works exactly the other way: The more you give, the more you get in return – opportunities, cooperation, love, trust, and success -- and you make a lot of friends in the process.

When young people understand this subtle truth, they will begin to appreciate the value of community initiatives and collaborative efforts that seek to address their issues in a constructive way. They will also realise that dialogue and engagement with the stakeholders, and not protests and violence, are the best ways to create a better future for themselves.

BK Atam Prakash is a Rajyoga teacher
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.