Teenagers

I write this on the heels of a concert gone terribly wrong. The Astroworld Festival where young people suffered injury and death. Aside from my disdain for those who are responsible for what went wrong, I am thinking of the attendees and how many of them have been led into a place of what I can only call dark energy. Nothing wholesome to be found there.

I feel for teenagers. Many do not get the proper attention that they need. Some who haven’t the strong guidance of loving parents can easily slip through the cracks as they are coming of age and seeking out avenues of freedom and exploration. If only the learning of The Bill of Rights was a right-of-passage for them, where respect for The 10 Articles was firmly established. We’ve lost the civics lessons of old, lost that which combines freedom with responsibility, self-determinism with respect for the self-determinism of others. I know there are parents who are instilling such knowledge in their children, but sadly, many are not. 

When I am around teens, I usually learn a lot. Some things about the modern world, but mostly about what they’re dealing with. There’s a sense of struggle underneath it all. Going through the teen years was never without challenges, but today, with everything teens are up against, it’s really tough: media and tech offering continuous bombardment. And the sad part is that they are such big souls with so much to share and contribute to life.

Teenagers are not the cash-cows the production companies try to turn them into: consumers of things, consumers of music that is mostly empty. They are smart, aware, with a strong potential to help make the world a better place. Some know that things aren’t right; they go along as best they can, likely hoping for just a little more fun, and maybe a little recognition of their worth. I say, find a way to be there for a teenager. The future could use a helping hand.