December 08, 2007

Shall I compare my youth with diamonds or most valuable gold?
No, for my boyhood is more precious than all this world can hold.
How much better we’d live and how free we’d be
If we’d realise that youth lives in you and
He always lives in me.

Ah! Youth. The best days of one’s life. Days when you believe you’re invincible. Days when you believe you can fly; aim for and touch the sky! Days which are, alas, numbered! When I recall those unassailable years of my life when I was on the threshold of my teens and beyond, a wave of nostalgia washes over me. The power of the innocence and simplicity of yesteryears overwhelms me.

However, when I look at the youth of today, I am struck at once by all that has changed over a span of the last 13 years when I was at the brink of my teens. Today’s youth is hot, happening and vibrant. They know how to have a ball; they know exactly what they want from their future and they whine that they need a lot of money to get there.

“My idea of a good time would be hanging out with friends at the gaming area, playing Counterstrike,” says 15 year old Mustafa, an O level student. “Weekends are for friends only,” he admits with a rueful grin. “Hanging out late with friends on Saturday night, leaving with my pals again for a movie or bowling on Sunday, zooming around in a friend’s car, checking out the crowd along Sea View… that’s how we chill out on the weekends,” he finishes.

But this is the same guy who you’ll find sitting at home hunched over commerce books on weekdays. “I avoid going out on weekdays; I know I have to study for our weekly tests.” Mustafa knows he needs to get a good grade in order to get admission for MBA. “I know I need to balance my life — some work, some play. There’s a time and place for everything!” he shrugs matter-of-factly. There you have it — smart and savvy — that’s the youth of today.

“Most of my friends dream of going abroad. We’re so young, yet we’re cynical about our country” says 16-year-old Mehlum doing his Intermediate from a private college. His friends profess that there’s a better future and better opportunities out there. “Those who have a family business plan to return from abroad but others want to settle in Canada or USA,” he explains the mind set of the youth.

Fourteen-year-old Atif claims that the youngsters of today are extremely money-minded. “Money, man! That’s what it’s all about,” he says as he busily punches away at the keys of his mobile, texting away as if there’s no tomorrow. “Look at the expenses we have — ipods, latest mobiles, eating out, gaming rooms… the list is endless. Even when we think about choosing a future career we calculate where the most money is to be made.” When asked what he wants to become in the future he’s double minded. “Sometimes I believe being a cricketer would be ideal. I mean, I’m the Vice Captain of our school team and I’m good at what I do. But on the other hand my dad keeps on telling me that cricket is not a full time career and that I should think about something which will secure my future like becoming a doctor or a chartered accountant,” he comments with a furrow on his forehead.

As far as money making is concerned there are many young people who don’t want to wait till they’ve got a degree in their palm to make some bucks. “Pocket money is not good enough,” explains 15-year-old Raheel. So, while on the one hand he’s doing his matric, on the other he plays the middle man in helping his friends get their hands on new mobile models. “It’s not getting me big bucks but it helps to make ends meet. I get like a commission of maybe three to four hundred rupees for every deal.”

Misha is a first year student who is giving tuitions to primary students in the evening. “I realise that even though my mom and dad are both working, they can’t afford many things that I need. They just brush off many of my needs aside considering them luxuries. So the couple of thousand I make keeps me happy. And them too.”

Thirteen-year-old Faiza keeps pestering her parents for a cell phone. “I feel like such an outcast!” she lashes out crossly. “They don’t let me sleep over at a friend’s place, I’ve a restriction about being home before dark, and I don’t have a cell phone! It’s like I live in the Stone Age.” Her parents are educated people who believe that what worked for them still applies today. “Just because other parents are irresponsible, doesn’t mean we let go of our daughter too. Out parents kept us on a tight leash and we turned out to be pretty well-rounded individuals. I don’t think the times have changed so much that our children need to be given so much liberty,” says Faiza’s dad. Nonetheless, life isn’t easy for Faiza, thanks to peer pressure.

Saira, 14, spends most of her time on the computer chatting with friends. “It’s a great way to gossip with my school mates and meet new exciting people from all over the world, especially on the Facebook.” Saira is a music freak and knows people from assorted corners of the world, courtesy of Facebook, who enjoy heavy metal music like she does. “The Net is a fantastic way to amuse myself and of course, meet guys,” she adds with a wink.

“All my son does after he comes back from school is sit in front of his PlayStation and play with his elder brother,” complains Mrs Khan mother of two sons. Her younger son, Mikaal, 12, says: “It’s the only activity that helps me unwind. I don’t know what my mom sobs about! I mean I do all my homework before going to bed and I’m not failing anything. But these games are my hobby. That’s all my friends do too.”

Ms Ashir, headmistress of the senior branch of a popular school assess the youth today armed with her experience in teaching teens for the past 15 years. “Youth is untouched by tragedy, so it’s natural to feel you can conquer any hurdle when you’re young. It’s very important to understand their psyche. You can’t yell and push them around. You need to be their friend and counsel them. Parents and teachers need to realise that the youth of today experiences peer pressure like never before; they have to deal with raging hormones, changing times and perceptions and a fear of the fast-approaching future.”

I guess the most beautiful thing that youth leave behind is its memories — memories of its innocence and resilience; memories of its petty grievances and romantic hopes. Yet, youth lives on every day in our hearts. It lives on in the twinkle in our eye; in the spring in our step; in that glimmer of innocence inside our hearts.