Listen to the young

Parent talks to teenager.

Sometime back while my nieces were visiting us, I proposed if they would like to use our fishing rods and try their luck in catching some fish from the sea. They asked me what was the purpose of fishing? I said : well, I know you both don’t like eating fish, so do it for the fun of it. The two young women looked at me with an interesting eye and replied: what fun is it catching a fish, hurting its mouth and because we don’t eat it , its thrown back in the water? 
Well, the above statement, did not fundamentally change my view about fishing, but it surely made me think deeper about fishing as a hobby and as I told them, for the fun of it.

I have to admit that I have not been always so open to examining such statements from people much younger than me, it is a generation problem, we think we know better because we are older and have more experience, well, we are wrong! The massive and rapid advancement in technology and access to information, has made youth quite inquisitive, they take no nonsense when it comes to facts and figures, and though the Internet doesn’t always give the right answers, it’s still quite a strong engine of search.

This generation who are accused of being reckless and ones who spend hours on social media and video games, are quite smart and given a proper education and guidelines, they will excel with an amazing speed that we can’t keep up with them. 
However, we must remember that there is rarely a proper advancement if priority is only given to physical and material progress without the implementation of spiritual concepts, such concepts will guide and direct the physical matters to the right direction, a path where integrity and ethics will not lead to deviations and dead ends.
 
One other matter that the new generation is very concerned with, is the choice of the right words, so that one doesn’t end up, discriminating one group against the other, and to say it more clearly, to avoid being labelled as racists. Of course not all youth think in this way, because adults have been setting a very bad example to them, but many others do care and are championing the cause of anti racism. 
It’s very important to open up and listen to the younger generation, our journey in this world should be one of accompaniment and friendship, paternal approach will never yield results with this bright generations.