SANITY AND INTEGRITY AMONG THE YOUNG PEOPLE

SANITY AND INTEGRITY AMONG THE YOUNG PEOPLE

The issue of indiscipline among school going students, both in primary schools and high schools, not forgetting the higher learning institutions is indeed a serious aspect that needs a close attention. The fact that nowadays children have the strangest courage of beating their teachers as well as parents and becoming unruly to their elders is not a small piece of paper that is worth of disposal in a litter bin. If you can walk around the villages you will be able to get the certainty of the matter at hand.

I have been meditating on this issue, relatively going through a number of published articles of various elites whom have also been overpowered by the weight of the matter, and to say the truth, it is so overwhelming! It is overt that the youth is the future of a state. Think of this scenario, suppose you walk into a forest with an axe and pull down all the young trees, for sure will have utterly killed the future of the forest. The same applies to this generation. The young people greatly behold the success and prosperity of a country.  They are the determinants of where the nation goes and how it will look like economically, politically and socially.

It is, however, very discouraging, and if not discouraging, so heartbreaking to see the young energetic people taking a completely wrong bearing in life. Taking an instance of our today’s youths in most of the African states, East Africa to be specific,  it can well be said that sanity and integrity is gradually vacating the hearts and minds of our youths. Young people in the universities are now indulging into irresponsible acts, sometimes shamelessly manifesting their ungratefulness to the society that ferried them into the lucrative statuses in which they are at the moment. Parents, guardians, organizations as well as the governments have heavily invested on the young people by making efforts and applying all available resources to educate them so that they are molded into becoming responsible young men and women in the society.

However, it is not alarming to assert that it is the society itself that is pegged into crashing down the integrity and morality inculcated in young people hence bringing them from grace to the grass root levels. I am not personal on this though, but let’s put the matter on table and draw a general conclusion that will help in restoring back the ancient morality and culture that existed among the young people. It is dismaying seeing young people aimlessly wandering in the streets and in their walk; they find themselves caught up in terrifying situations that land them into regrettable problems.

Young people are very vulnerable. They are always very active and receptive to any ‘new idea’ that comes their way and since some don’t have a proper parentage from childhood, they easily find themselves in the mess. Parents no longer instill moral lessons to their sons and daughters as early as they are still young and manageable, no longer do they discipline their misbehaving young ones. They love their children too much that they can’t even allow them be punished in school in case of any misconduct. You find a little boy as young as 12 abusing drugs, behaving roughly in school to a point of dropping out but the parents can’t raise a voice on that. This has escalated in the villages where you find children have become unruly to parents and guardians.  They are untouchable! And if you dare it becomes an untold story. In other words, parents have abandoned the authority bestowed on them to look after their children’s discipline and to make sure that they are brought up in a godly way.

The issue that parents have freely allowed their children do whatever they want at their wish at any time is another causal for misconducts among the young people we witness today in our society. When children are suspended into the environment, it goes without saying that they come across a myriad of things. They will meet their peers with different ideas, philosophies, behaviors and personalities which  they will be forced to embrace in order for them to feel fit in the system. They will learn the behaviors and therefore begin practicing.

I think it is high time we get back into the reality of things and restructure the weird system in our young people that have caused mayhem in the society. It is the rightmost time for various institutions to come out strongly and advocate for integrity among the young people. Churches should now embrace the young people and instill in them the fear of God that will attract their hearts to doing good.

Schools and Higher learning institutions should also exalt morality among the learners in that bad behavior is punished and good deeds rewarded with lucrative gifts to enhance morality and discipline. Various competition programmes should be put in place to pose challenge to the learners who may be having weird character and make them transform in the process. Parents should not over-love their sons and daughters and should seriously engage them in the home activities like attending the flock, cleaning the house, washing dishes, fetching water at the river and many more, all these to keep them from being lazy and growing up in the same manner.

The young people themselves should come out strongly and own up the opportunities released to them by various organizations, their schools and institutions as well as the government in order to apply their various abilities to help in changing the setup of the state. The various talents and abilities should be harnessed, processed and translated into greater ideas that can help boost the economy of the country.

Education is the most powerful tool that can conquer poverty. If all the young people can be responsible for their lives, resources and people around them, then for sure they are the best people ever in the ecosystem. Their contribution is very key in the national building procedure since they are energetic, strong and with sharpest brains that is worth of recognition. Let the society at large now get involved in shaping the bright future of our young people. Let them be given a chance to air out their views, let their voices be heard on roof tops. Let them explore their surroundings, applying their academic power to do what fits and beneficial for them and the society a large.

Young people, it is high time we get rid of death out of our way! Abstain from alcoholism, drug abuse, weed consumption, teenage pregnancies. Utterly reject premarital sex as this has sent many young people under the soil! You have a very bright future and God has a purpose for you. You were not meant to die of STI diseases and HIV/AIDS, neither were you created to be an instrument of sex. Keep it in mind that there is time for everything. Use your time very well while in school so that when time for rejoicing in the fruits of your studies comes, the world will celebrate with you. Be patient and content with what you have now. Love God and obey His instructions because He is the source of everything we need in life. Love your parents and Guardians and be subject to them.  

                                         

God Bless You!!

Calleb O. Otieno
Kenyatta University.
Nairobi,Kenya.