Online Reporter
Flora Teckie
Bahá’í Perspective
International Youth Day, observed globally on August 12, reminds us of the immense potential of young people, their energy, their strength and vigour.
It is in today’s youths that we place our hope for a more just, united, and peaceful future.
From the Bahá’í perspective, the present generation of youths has a vital role to play in contributing to the betterment of society. On them also rests the duty of fostering an environment in which the younger members of society, or junior youths, can attain the spiritual and intellectual powers they need to build a better civilisation. To fulfil this responsibility, however, young people must first prepare themselves.
The most effective preparation is a balanced education – one that nurtures both the mind and the spirit. Such an education equips youth with the knowledge, skills, values, and qualities needed to lead purposeful lives and to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of their communities.
As the Bahá’í Writings state, “This education … in order to be adequate and fruitful should be comprehensive in nature and should take into consideration not only the physical and the intellectual side of man but also his spiritual and ethical aspects”.
A balanced education, therefore, involves acquiring both useful qualifications, as well as developing spiritual qualities, a noble outlook on life, and an upright character. It prepares young people not only for successful careers but also for lives of service to humanity.
Such an education should also instil in our children and youths the awareness of the fundamental oneness of humanity. It should foster a love for all races, nations and religions of the world. This must begin in the family, where our youths learn the principle of the oneness of humanity and are trained to rid themselves of various prejudices.
According to a statement from the Bahá’í International Community, “To serve their communities effectively, young people should strive to understand with growing clarity the implications of the principle of the oneness of humanity.
“For too long, differences among human beings, both real and imagined, have served as obstacles preventing the progress of entire peoples and nations. This planet is our one, common homeland. We must all care for it. We must all have the opportunity to thrive in it.
“Regardless of differences in class, culture, ethnicity, belief, nationality, and gender, at our core, we share a common identity—we are all human. In those essential aspects of life— in the capacity of every human being to dream, to think, to create; in the longing of every person to find happiness, to grow, to connect with others—we are without distinction”.
A balanced education, in the Bahá’í view, would combine science and religion, belief and reason. This will help free our children from fanaticism and superstitions—and by placing emphasis on learning to think, rather than following adults out of fear, to reflect and reason, rather than to imitate—our youths will be motivated to apply the spiritual laws with understanding and conviction.
A capacity for meaningful service and a desire to bring about constructive change are both characteristic of youths. An area of service that youths can participate in is by assisting young teenagers to attain the spiritual and intellectual powers they need to build a better world.
Young teenagers, or junior youths, between the ages of 12 and 15, are at the special age of early adolescence and represent “a reservoir of capacity to transform society waiting to be tapped”. This is a special time in the life of an individual, as it is during these years that one leaves childhood behind and undergoes profound change.
Parents and teachers often believe that this is a difficult age, one of rebelliousness, irrationality and frivolity without looking to see whether the causes of such behaviour are inherent to the stage of growth of the individual, or are imposed by social environment and upbringing.
According to the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith: “While global trends project an image of this group as problematic, lost in throes of tumultuous physical and emotional change, unresponsive and self-consumed, the Bahá’í community – in the language it employs and the approach it adopts – is moving decidedly in the opposite direction, seeing in junior youth instead altruism, an acute sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world.
Considering the great potential of the junior youths and their needs, Bahá’í communities organise regular programmes for this age group. Such programmes are intended to provide them with spiritual guidance to lay the foundations of a noble and upright character, to enable them to live in harmony and peace, and with understanding and respect for others, and to instil in them a commitment to serve their communities.
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