The most beautiful thing about being a youth is that it gives us the opportunity to create our future. We may learn by starting from nursery school, progressing through our educational system, and probably complete it in the university. Every qualification attained makes you a better person with greater and better opportunities to serve. After all, what is the purpose of all that education if one does not use it to serve humanity?
With all things being equal, a person attains a greater position in life subject to his level of education. Education as used in this context is not limited to academic education, but subject to life experiences. The individual goes through classes, assignments tests, trials and tribulations, with the sole purpose of learning. The purpose of this training is to help the youth become independent in his life. Life itself is a school.
Most youths today ignorantly believe that life is all about being Youth, Overt Undesirable, Troublesome of Hungry, YOUTH- (an aimless desire for material things). This leads us nowhere. A true youth is expected to be young, open understanding take responsibility, and be humble. This is the attitude that brings out the best in our life. As a youth you either be one of three things; a leader, a follower or an outcast. The choice is ours.
Life is all about learning. Every joy and trouble is a blessing in life. It leads one to maturity. A fool is one who has nothing to learn from his or her experiences.
A wise man is that person who understands that every thorn in his flesh makes him more resistant to future wounds. Thus, he learns from what life has to teach him.
How then can we partake from the wisdom of the wise man? Let us try to ask ourselves this question each morning, 'what has life to teach me today?' or ' what have I to give to life?'
The lessons in life are meant to make a person grow. Understanding the lessons of life means there is no problem in life but experiences. Problems occur where a person's refusal to observe the benefits of learning everyday means sadness. In other words, where a person refuses to recognise the lessons behind a test faced, only then will he/she face a problem.
If we refuse to learn, we invariably refuse to grow and the more we refuse to grow, the sadder we become. The average definition of a problem seems to turn the lessons of life into stumbling blocks preventing our growth in wisdom and maturity in life. The lessons of life are not stumbling blocks in our paths. They are stepping stones and as such are better referred to as experiences.
Although it is clear that a person may become much more happy or sad as a result of his/her experiences, every fellow youth should please note that happiness or sadness is very optional. It is our choice. You just think about it.
There are many ways in which a person may keep himself happy at all times. Three prominent ways are:
1. Detachment: Do not attach yourself so emotionally to the troubles or the drama of life to the extent that it continues to affect or control you. Most youths get so attached to the issues of daily life to the extent that it affects their health and happiness. Detachment gives you a better viewpoint of issues and how to solve them. In detaching, look for the root cause of the problem. Like it or not, it usually is you.
2. Surrender: Let God handle the deepest seething desires of your life. When you detach yourself from a problem. It makes it possible for one to surrender to the ultimate deity who knows the needs of man. Most issues become problems because we are unduly attached to them. There is no sensible reason behind a person labeling his troubles on his forehead. The sooner we learn that everybody has a share of burden in direct proportion to his weight, the better it would be for us. Surrendering makes a person much lighter and a better fit in society. A smiling face certainly makes more friends than one that is gloomy. Life is therefore to let go and let God.
3. Love: Love makes life what living. If this is not true, why do we hunt it in another person, in society, in our holy scriptures and in our prayers? The only way we can gain love is by giving. You give to receive. A person may wonder how love helps solve problems. Love helps a person see beauty in everything. This includes the issues he/she faces in life. A loving heart is never daunted by any problem because a person's love for life makes it very easy to detach and surrender life's problems.
Most act of violence amongst youth result from our emotional attachment to life's issues and refusal to imbibe love our heart. So many youth engage in the use of illicit drugs to forget the problems of life. We youths should remember that problems can never be forgotten because they are lessons of life, which needs solutions to resolve. The taking of drugs only delays our maturity in life. If we are able to love life, we would be able to detach ourselves from our problem. Surrendering our problems opens a window for God to guide us through our experiences, making us more mature beings.
Life is therefore a school where classes are taught and problems are brought in the form of tests to be solved to show just how much the student has accumulated. This lets the teacher know whether the student can graduate to the next level. The student may choose to ignore the test but he will never pass to get promoted to a greater class. We youths are in the school of life. Every minute of each day has a lesson in store for us. Let us make learning fun. After all, LIFE means Lessons intact For Everyone!
