THE younger people represent the backbone of any nation as they play a critical part in a country’s growth. However, they face several challenges which cause great difficulties in their life. Many of them have big dreams, but are unable to achieve them due to several reasons.

It is not rare for the young to be unable to communicate with their teachers and parents due to communication gap. They do not convey their concerns, fears or questions, and, hence, are unable to seek help or overcome their issues. Then they are haunted by loneliness which is a genuine outcome of communication gap.

Currently, the majority of our youth choose to be alone, which causes many problems in their studies and mental stress. A survey conducted in the 1980s at the University of Chicago revealed that an average person had three friends. A similar survey with a gap of a few years observed that each person had only one friend. Another study in the United States indicated that 79 per cent of young people aged 14-24 years feel lonely.

Another problem is that most of the young spend more time fantasising rather than doing. This overstay in the fantasy land leave them disconnected from the reality. They live in their own world, and even within that world they have their own bubbles. This isolation is bound to cause problems. With various streaming services at their disposal, they mostly watch movies and shows that end up causing mental health issues.

Many youngsters are victims of the fear of failure, and are unable to perform well. They do not consider failure a part of life — which it surely is — because of social and peer pressure. Many parents only emphasise the need to ‘win’ and ‘achieve’. They forget to educate their children to remain strong in case of failure and strike back with greater potential.

Some youngsters are stuck in bad career choices and sulk about such decisions all their lives. Career is the most essential thing and should be chosen with thorough consideration. But the aim of our youth remains mostly confined to mainstream disciplines like Engineering, Medicine, Business Administration, etc. No one wants to be, say, a writer, a scientist. We need to provide good career guidance to our youth. There is no dearth of students who have degrees, but have no idea what they want to do with their lives.

Our youth is in danger. And this means we, as a nation, are in danger. These issues must be addressed immediately in order for our young to optimise their potential and achieve whatever goals they set for themselves in life.

Hasnain Buledi
Larkana

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2021