Recently I was asked by a high school teacher if I had any ideas about why students today seem so apathetic when it comes to engaging with the world around them. I waggishly responded, “Probably because they’re smart.” In my opinion, we’re asking our young adults to step into a story that doesn’t make any sense. Sure, we can grow the earth’s population to 9 billion (and probably will), and sure, we can extract our natural gas and oil resources as fast as possible, and sure, we can continue to pile on official debts at a staggering pace — but why are we doing all this? Even more troubling, what do we say to our youth when they ask what role they should play in this story — a story with a plot line they didn’t get to write?
So far, the narrative we’re asking them to step into sounds a lot like this: Study hard, go to college, maybe graduate school. And when you get out, not only will you be indebted to your education loans and your mortgage, but you’ll be asked to help pay back trillions and trillions of debt to cover the decisions of those who came before you. All while operating within a crumbling, substandard infrastructure. Oh, and by the way, the government and corporate sector appear to have no real interest in your long-term future; you’re on your own there.
by cmartenson
Yeah, I happen to think apathy is a perfectly sane response to that story.
This world needs a change of direction as well as a change in heart, we can not take anyone or thing for granted nor can we go on being in a foggy state of denial. We must find compassion, tolerance and love for one another as well as a less self-centered view of the world around us. We need to see that every living creäture big or small is an important part of our world and its ecosystem. No one person is greater or lesser than the other, they are equal though different. The differences between each and every one of us is what makes humanity a wondrous species and an unstoppable force when we work together. We should strive towards a world of love, equality and peace as we rid ourselves of the greed and hatred that plagues us as a species. Raymond Barbier
I agree with you, and one other thing we’re not telling them, yes, you need an education to even flip burgers for a living, however, the education you’re now in debt for may never pay your bills or even guarantee you’ll have a job. We, the older adults have let this country get way off track and no! we should not expect our young people to be excited or even willing to fix our mess.
Once again Katrina, we are on the same page. I wonder if we’ll meet one day!
I hope so,
The young know the game we play is a really a con. All those ads on tv tellling them the way to happiness is to buy buy buy.
The bright side is that our culture will alter dramatically as debt and lack of resources make our current first world life styles impossible. The excitement the young are beginning to feel is in the design of the new culture. Will it be sharing and caring or harsh and mean?
Interesting times eh! I believe that there is a growing positive energetic change on our planet….away from our history of self and competition, towards the sharing and caring you talk about. Do you agree that the more of us that can visualise a peaceful existence, the greater our chances of creating it?
Yes, Best to put our energy into building a bright future. If we prepare for a future of barbed wire and guns, then that is the future we build.
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