What’s your take on youth today? Bright beacons of enthusiasm, skill, and hope for the future, or hormone-driven and materialistic?
From a Baháʼí perspective, youth are capable, noble, enthusiastic, and powerful forces for social change, upon which the development of the next generation depends. In the prime of their lives, with an energy and desire to dedicate themselves to high ideals and having a strong sense of justice, youth are a potent source for social good. The Bab was only 25 and Baháʼu’lláh 27 when they declared their divine mandate for the unity of humanity. Additionally, the Baháʼí teachings are filled with letters and directives for youth encouraging them to accomplish great things. When young people between the ages of 11 to 25 develop their skills and talents – not just for their own personal gain but to contribute to the betterment of society, they channel their boundless energies towards bringing light to the world. The following quote written in 1925 encourages youth to develop both intellectual and spiritual qualities so that they would be well equipped to shoulder the responsibilities awaiting them.
The future of this Cause, which is so dear to us all, depends upon the energy and devotion of the rising generation. It is you who before long will be called to shoulder its responsibilities and undertake its spread. To do that, however, you ought to be well equipped. You ought to have your intellectual as well as spiritual side equally developed….
(Shoghi Effendi, 28 December 1925 to the Bahá’í Youth of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.)
A prayer for youth revealed by ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá shows just how much faith He had in the power of youth to change the world!
Wherefore, O ye illumined youth, strive by night and by day to unravel the mysteries of the mind and spirit, and to grasp the secrets of the Day of God. Inform yourselves of the evidences that the Most Great Name hath dawned. Open your lips in praise. Adduce convincing arguments and proofs. Lead those who thirst to the fountain of life; grant ye true health to the ailing. Be ye apprentices of God; be ye physicians directed by God, and heal ye the sick among humankind. Bring those who have been excluded into the circle of intimate friends. Make the despairing to be filled with hope. Waken them that slumber; make the heedless mindful.
Such are the fruits of this earthly life.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
This is a far cry from the popular image of youth that views them as entitled and self-absorbed, clamouring for entertainment and relentless in their mindless pursuit of pleasure. If the stories we tell ourselves about youth and who they can become show such low expectations and disconnection from purpose, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If, however, we see youth as the beautiful souls they are, possessing earnest curiosity, a deep desire for self-expression and excellence, we will encourage these characteristics so natural of this period of life to flourish. In the Baháʼí teachings, youth are so important that the entire future of the Faith and indeed, the promulgation of international peace – is dependent upon their efforts:
A very great responsibility for the future peace and well-being of the world is borne by the youth of today. Let the Bahá’í youth by the power of the Cause they espouse be the shining example for their companions.”
(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, April 15, 1965)
This is not to say that the situation this responsibility or the role of being a shining example are easy or that forces of discouragement and materialism are not affecting us all, including youth who are still forming their abilities to discern and to make good decisions. It is no secret that youth go through great physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual changes while facing an increasingly uncertain and dangerous future. Shoghi Effendi, In anticipation of a second world war, wrote,to a young Baháʼí, words that apply equally to the present day:
The present condition of the world–its economic instability, social dissensions, political dissatisfaction and international distrust–should awaken the youth from their slumber and make them inquire what the future is going to bring. It is surely they who will suffer most if some calamity would sweep over the world. They should therefore open their eyes to the existing conditions, study the evil forces that are at play and then with a concerted effort arise and bring about the necessary reforms–reforms that shall contain within their scope the spiritual as well as social and political phases of human life.
(Shoghi Effendi, 13 March 1932 to an individual believer, published in “Bahá’í News” 68 (November 1932), p. 3)
A few years later, written to the Baháʼí youth of the USA, Shoghi Effendi wrote:
By all means persevere and associate in a friendly spirit with other groups of young people, particularly of a different race or minority nationality, for such an association will demonstrate your complete conviction of the oneness of mankind and attract others to the Faith, both young and old alike. A spirit of prejudice-free, loving comradeship with others is what will open the eyes of people more than any amount of words.
(From a letter of the Guardian to the Dayton Bahá’í Youth Group, January 18, 1945)
On the one hand, the problems youth face today are largely those left unresolved by their parents, society and circumstances that surrounded their parents and grandparents as they grew up. On their own, youth did not invent racism, conflict, misogyny, extreme poverty and war. Youth, not surprisingly, unless given viable options to do otherwise, will model the behaviour and attitudes of their parents, teachers and coaches. The behaviour of adults around them may also be sources of confusion and discouragement as youth attempt to make sense of the world and to take their place within it.
On the other hand, youth are strongly influenced by the context of their peers, school environments, concerns about the world they are inheriting. Not able to adequately express their feelings, or to make sense of their thoughts, youth often feel misheard and misunderstood. Yet they have so much to offer and can be the very agents of positive change they find lacking in the society around them.
I am reminded of the time our son, who was 17 at the time, went to French Guyana for a year of youth service. One of the tasks assigned to him was to create opportunities for two tribes who were traditionally hostile to each other to work together. All past attempts by adults had failed. Because he was interested in music, and in the cultural expression of music, our son made arrangements to “commission” a local drum maker from one tribe to make a medium sized drum for him to take back to Canada. He also commissioned a drum painter from the hostile tribe to do the painting of the drum. The small sums of money he offered were inadequate but increased the stakes in the project. Then he told each of them they would need to work together to create a new style for the drum or they wouldn’t get paid. Begrudgingly they discussed their mutual requirements and after working together for several hours found they had quite a bit in common.
This act of unity was the beginning of several nascent friendships and cross-tribe initiatives, previously unheard of. Youth bring energy, new ideas and creativity to difficult problems and are undaunted by the old ways of thinking that keep adults from trying again.
To capitalize on this fresh energy while realistically addressing the problems of neighbourhoods around them, Baháʼís seek to provide opportunities for youth to develop their latent potential, right in the neighbourhoods where they live. Local youth spiritual empowerment programs fostering grass roots efforts at unity building are hosted by Baháʼí communities in thousands of locations all around the world. In the company of like-minded peers and trustworthy older youth, younger youth actively engage in their own spiritual and moral learning. Collaboratively they plan local service activities inspired by the stories of youth from cultures around the world, examples of courageous youth and quotes from the world religions and leaders of thought. During these gatherings, neighbourhood youth from diverse backgrounds, races, faiths, and social classes come together to explore questions of moral and spiritual significance to them in their daily lives. They find ways to express their artistic, cultural, and scientific talents, dedicate themselves to service in meeting the needs of the families and communities where they live, discuss their own questions about purpose and channel their energies towards the creation of neighbourhoods where people can trust each other and live in safety.
Here is what Alast and Sarah, two participants from Edmonton youth empowerment programs, said about their experience learning to bring light to the world:
“My perspective as a young adolescent living in society broadened from the junior youth discussions. I was challenged to think about things I would never have considered on my own. Like for example, competition. We discussed it in the context of comparison and jealousy, and what it would mean if our lives were motivated mostly by competing with others. I now think of competition in terms of how it will affect my soul. This was a whole new way of seeing things for me. And I was challenged by people coming in and out of the group, I had to learn to make friends with people when the members were changing, when we were online and in person. To be honest it wasn’t easy, but it made me more confident.”
Alast
“I felt safe and happy with my junior youth group. It was a place where you could be yourself, and others could be themselves. We learned how to communicate with each other in ways that were kind and truthful. We became more trustworthy and responsible by doing service projects together. For example, we did tutoring for children in grades 1 and 6 who needed some help. Their parents were surprised we would dedicate our time to their children. We made cards for elders and delivered them in person to them in a seniors home, they were so happy. I could see it on their faces – it made me happy to see that.”
Sarah
“I believe I developed confidence and strength from the conversations we had and the projects we did in our junior youth group. I participated in outreach activities, and it was easy for me to strike up conversations and to talk with strangers because of my experience expressing myself at JY. I see myself as having bigger power to make the world a better place because I was actively serving – we helped at the food bank, at a soup kitchen, gave sandwiches to the homeless. Those were some of the things we did. I learned that by serving, by focusing on service, you learn to cooperate with people who are not like you and to work together.”
Alast
“I told my friends at school about the junior youth program, they are interested to join but Covid has made things difficult. And parents of the children we tutored are interested because of the service.”
Sarah
If the comments of these two young people are any indication, we have a lot to be hopeful and enthusiastic about! Rather than focusing on perceived inadequacies of young people, let us be secure in the knowledge that as they become infused with spiritual power, they become potent forces for good, inspiring their peers through their love, dedication to service and purity of motive. Those glimmerings of this “bigger power to make the world a better place” seen in the comments of Alast and Sarah are just the beginning of what is to come.