The purpose of a mirror is to show us what we need to change to look good. Therefore you need a clear mirror to tell you the truth so that you can tidy your hair, clean your mouth or touch up your make up, although sometimes truth can be embarassing. An ugly truth is better than a beautiful lie.
As I'm actively involved in youth ministry, I realise that there is an ugly truth that we do not want to talk about it. The young generation today are smarter, more talented and faster in pursuing the new knowledge than every before; but they are significantly less mature than the young people in the previous generation. If you are a young folk now probably you want to prove me wrong. Well I'm not here to prove myself right, but I hope to show where we are heading in raising up the next generation. And if we don't do something about it, the next generation may lose their purpose and identity while trying to identify themselves to the public trend.
There is a decline in the level of maturity in our young generation today.
Individualism vs Togetherness
Now everyone has their own page on the web, be it Facebook, Tumblr or blogspot. In the past we only had a "memory diary" that we would pass around the class so that we can get everyone to write about their favourite food, hobby, DOB, BFFs...etc. We were somehow more interested in knowing about others than wanting others to know about us. So many people make Facebook their virtual world where they are so consumed about sharing about themselves, counting LIKES and reading COMMENTS. And those comments can really make their day, as if the comments can change their lives. I learned that this could be narcissism. Like the Bible says, in the last days people will be lovers of themselves.
Did you realise that we used to have so few analogue cameras in the class but we had so much more group pictures? Now that everyone has multiple digital cameras on the laptop, tablet and phones yet we only had more personal portraits and less group photos.
One clear indication, less and less young people like to go youth camps anymore. They rather stay in their room watching the pictures of the youth camps their friends go as if they have experienced it for themselves.
Tolerance
In the past through our upbringing we've mastered the art of sharing. Siblings need to share most of the things at home such as rooms, bathrooms, bicycles, even clothes to be passed down from the elder to the youngest. Children have to share the burden of house chores as well. Nobody had major complaints about it, we are just used to living lives together, respecting personal space while enjoying company with each other. Some even had to help younger siblings with their homework, wash their shoes and look after them. Maturity includes thinking about others rather than one self. While you are good in sharing what you have, you are trained to think about others as a habit. You know how to consider their needs, wants and feelings.
Today, I see many young people, finding it harder and harder to get along with their housemates, having their own room yet hard to stay in the same house. Well, you will never find a perfect housemate or classmate because you are not one either. But you have to learn tolerance. Love the people and accept them for who they are. Don't think about what they can do for you, but what you can do for them.
Independence
To enjoy life, we don't need to be professional, we just have to enjoy the experience. I still remember when I was in high school, I took bicycle to school, sometimes I walked. To go shopping with friends, we had to walk 1km to bus stop and take a 45 mins bus ride to the nearest mall. But we had crazy fun on the bus. Going to college, I packed my own luggage, took bus or "tumpang" friends' car to Nilai, which is 450km away from my hometown. I have learned the hard way, if I don't do my own laundry consistently (No washing machines), I will have no clothes to wear. If I don't manage my finances well, I will have to starve. But now I speak to young folks, why can't you do this since you believe so much in it. The answer is simple, "no transport". Why you have to go back hometown when you are so busy, because I have to send my laundry back for my mom to wash. Epic right? Well, at the age of 17, we should be able to manage our house well, to keep it clean and tidy, learn to fix some bulbs and cook some simple food on your own. Our parents could probably do that at the age of 12. So a comfortable life may not be so good after all, it doesn't train your independence and strength on the inside. I love training. Independence is not individualism. In fact, being independent will empower you to take care of more people.
Communication
The key to communication is - you've got to realise that it takes TIME and PATIENCE. We used to post mails with the help of postmen. Well, nowadays we don't post personal written mail anymore. I am pretty sure postmen now only help deliver goods and documents. It's been so long since I last saw a personal written mail, remember pen pal? Haha. But writing a letter, posting it and waiting for a reply taught us that communication takes time. And we were very patient. Whatsapp, Line or WeChat deliver messages in no time. There's no need for time and patience. People don't have the patience to listen to the heart anymore. The "haha" on the Facebook can refer to a cry in the heart, if you know what I mean. It doesn't cost you anything to type, you don't have to be too serious in what you say? When I was in highschool, my favourite hangout place was mamak. Nasi Lemak 30 cents and Teh Tarik 70 cents. We can spend all night there talking nonsence and sharing secrets in one single setting. But now we spend RM20 in a restaurants catching up with friends, not knowing what they really think in their hearts. And we pay for the cozyness. What's the point of being in a cozy place yet we are not sharing our hearts. Probably it's nice to do some instagram and update FB status in such environment. No real communication. I think because of that, our communication has got better quantity - more people get updated, but poorer in quality - shallow sharing.
Understanding - What works vs what counts.
Information comes in light speed. Thanks to Google. We used to do research by spending an entire day in the library finding the right info for our assignments. Now, you can research on google over your PC, laptop or even smart phones while you are using the loo. We have a bigger web, smaller view. " I don't care what you have to say (I can use keyword search), I just want to get what I want to know. " While people are filled with head knowledge, they lose interest in the heart knowledge. We have lost the desire to know why. We have stopped thinking about purpose. It's crazy to see millions of young people do not know why they do the things they do. We become so "feeling driven" rather than "character driven". We want to know what's cool and what works... But before all that, you really need to know, what counts...really... It's sad to see even good young people only know what FEELS good, but not what IS good.
I think this blog is rather long. It comes from my discussion with my wife. But something for us to think about. Something for me to think about in raising Jethro up. I believe the Church has the answer because that's the place of fellowship, discipleship and love in the family setting. That's how I am going to end my entry.
I still believe in the next generation, just with greater urgency and intensity.
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