Important guard rails for today’s youth

by Imran Bacchus

We live in a fast-paced world and there are many shifts and evolutions in trends and patterns of doing things. We are seeing the lives of young people changing drastically with access to many more opportunities and resources than before. However, there can be a mental and emotional pressure upon our youths to achieve greater success and leave them feeling unaccomplished or dissatisfied with their achievements.

Subsequently, in this modern era there is a growing frequency of depression and anxiety among people of all kinds but more specifically among the younger generation.

Moreover, society has placed much emphasis on how we see and define success in our lives. There ought to be more healthy conversations on what success is for every individual. Besides, gratitude should play a pivotal role in our lives because it teaches us to be grateful for where we are and what we have attained currently while we are working on where we want to be. It gives a level of satisfaction yet a hopeful one for the days ahead.

Equally important is the availability of social media and its impact on the lives of our young people. Social media can create a false and fictitious narrative of success thereby leaving a negative impression on self-worth and realization of many young people. It affects their appreciation and recognition for their personal growth and accomplishments since it creates a gap and longing to always want more and feeling less of themselves, as they see posts and contents of others being published. In addition, there are many youths who may feel stuck, left behind or as though their lives are not moving forward. This can increase a level of tension and burden upon their minds and mental stamina, leading to frustration, resentment, and anger. Such states of mind can also leave them feeling inferior, and having a low self-esteem.

However, they ought to be reminded that they are all running their own race and their own journeys. Where one person may go in life, another may not, but for each individual there is a plan and vision for them to be the best version of themselves. As such, families are encouraged to have more meaningful discussions with their children to appreciate who they are and their own individual progress. Likewise, we have to teach our children that another person’s success should not be seen as a competition and that we should be able to celebrate someone else’s accomplishment despite having similar desires or needs.

In our day and age, it is quite evident how comparison can deprive us of our internal joy and cause us to become envious and jealous of someone else’s triumph. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Further, we must accept that each of us was raised differently and had or have access to varying resources; what one person may have or would have had growing up another might/may not had or have.

In like manner, we have to develop ways to positively shift our thinking where we see others not as rivals but as unique. We need to formulate strategies and the discipline where we see the constructive side of everything that we go through. In schools, a programme on mental well-being and the realities of life should be introduced or an empowerment programme that can positively engage young people on struggles and real life challenges that can impair their vision and perceptions so as to help them to be better individuals and more resilient.

We can all agree that overcoming any challenge is not an easy task and that sometimes life can feel unbearable and unfair. Therefore, we have to take possession of educating our children not only on academia but on events and issues that can alter the course of their lives. I believe that today we have many young people who are struggling silently because of the picture that society has painted to them where at a certain age they should have this or that. Let alone, society may tend to place more focus on materialistic success rather than other areas of integral goals and fulfillment such as a degree or completing a course.

Thus, comparison is making the journey and experience of life rather wearisome for many youths rather than enjoying the process. Hence, they are more focused on doing and doing, and fiercely chasing other dreams and goals ahead that they have to get better than the person next to them, and they have to achieve this particular thing because their friends have it and the things people may say if they don’t.

Nonetheless, we see this social dilemma taking over young people in the workplace, in their study lives and their regular lives as well. It is becoming even clearer when we see friends killing friends and colleagues going against colleagues in the workplace over a promotion or a position. This social predicament is a toxic trait and can be deemed harmful not only to one’s life but in the way they see the world at large and the environment around them. It’s on such basis, education is important and plays a vital role in making us, adults and youths alike, aware of our emotions, manage our thoughts, and keeping us peaceful psychologically. As a consequence, emotional intelligence should be seen as a highly relevant theme of study in the lives of your youths and should be discussed or taught more regularly.

Imran Bacchus is the Guyana Country Representative to CYPAN and President of the Guyana National Youth Council. He is passionate about and interested in youth empowerment and  gender-based violence. He enjoys writing poetry and has a love for politics, economic development and growth. He hopes to one day become a diplomat or to work in the political field.