“OUR youth has great potential,” I listen and read this statement almost every day, many people almost from all walks of life say and believe in this statement but every time when I hear this statement I wonder and laugh at these people because either they are fully out of touch from our society or they can’t see the hard reality behind that pomp and show.

I do not know about which youth they talk about that can do wonders and miracles because the youth that I have seen and live with is all about Facebook, twitter, and mobile phones.

They are just dedicated to Facebook. It does not matter whether they study or not, it does not matter whether they prepare their assignment or not, it does not matter whether they take their dinner or not but the thing that matters most for them is that they have updated their Facebook status and have commented on their friend’s status and pictures.

The most interesting thing I know about this so-called potential youth is almost 60 to 75 per cent of their time they spend either using Facebook or texting at mobile phones, and the worst thing is that not only school, college, university boys and girls are engaged in this habit that I call a disease but professional people, young office professionals too are active Facebook lovers.

The youths I know they compete with each other in wearing branded clothes, and shoes instead of showing humanity and modesty. The youths I know love to break and challenge the law rather than respect them and teach others to follow.

The youths I see around me are all just set to talk about movies, dramas, brands and almost everyone is crazy to go out of the country and if ever by mistake someone talks about the country, social problems, humanity, discipline or rules, others laugh at him and make a plaything out of him.

So, I don’t know which potential our youths have other than sticking to Facebook?

MUDASSAR ASHRAF Lahore