Why the Youth is Not Participating in Crucial Conversations Anymore?
Politics, Pakistan, Government, America, China, India, Army, Trade, Social Issues, Economy, Petrol, Inflation…. Are you already disinterested? Wait, read on…
I get it, the world dynamic is crazy and keeping a track of it would drive any sane person nuts. But while the mess it is, we do live in the world and being aware of our surroundings is always a smart thing. The youth especially have a greater responsibility to understand it.
Don’t worry, I’m not getting into the ‘responsibility, being the future of a country’ lecture just yet. As youths, we are very much aware of our important role in society and already we feel its pressure weighing us down. This is because society, especially Pakistani society has never been centred around youth. Ironic, isn’t it? For a country where the youth constitutes more than half of its population, we are assisted in no way whatsoever to grow, evolve and take our place of responsibilities. We aren’t guided, directed or taught and most of us are left clueless after graduating, expected to be trained, functioning members of society.
But the most frustrating thing I find is, nobody wants to listen to our views, opinions and analysis in any conversation. We are often subjected to a conversation with full-grown adults talking with such remarkable confidence about a painfully obvious, false situation. And if we try to politely interject and correct? Wrong move. A shut-up call is given to you because you know nothing, Jon Snow.
The final straw is usually an agonizingly, frustrating conversation with a stubborn, bull-headed, holier than thou individual. After that, we give up. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? One tiring conversation later, we’re so done.
So this common experience of ours usually manifests in four ways:
- Somewhere along the way, we stop being aware of what’s happening around us, our country, the world. Once in a while, some interesting headlines in a scrolling newsfeed may catch our eye, we may post about social injustice on our social media, or tweet about an event. But that’s about it. Maybe we were never interested in it or because…
- We stop engaging in conversations. Either we choose to be docile, cautious and respectful to avoid hurting people’s sentiments or we take the high road, staying silent rather than arguing with an ill-informed person. Since we don’t talk about it with others, we don’t think it worthy of being noticed by us.
- But that doesn’t mean the passionate youth completely takes the backseat. Some people still talk and express their opinions on various social media platforms or social interactions. But their lack of knowledge and facts makes them utterly misinformed. They are vehemently expressive but about false narratives. And you know what they say? Misinformation is more lethal than lack of information. Sadly, many of them can’t bear to be corrected and arguments ensue.
- However, despite all of this, a ray of sunshine lies in a rare group, who actually acquaint themselves with the correct facts. Informed, aware and eager to talk, there is some youth that’s making an effort to not let a challenging conversation shoot them down. They rise to the occasion, participating in conversations to gently correct and amend till truth prevails.
Speaking from a personal point of view, I sometimes choose not to speak because I don’t feel knowledgeable enough to participate in certain conversations. This is something many others would relate to. Rather than coming off as a fool for talking about something we don’t know, we again choose the silent approach.
But this is harmful to us, as individuals and as a whole group. Pakistan is in dire need of its youth. Most people in power are thick-headed individuals with smoke screens and no idea where they are leading us. We need to develop an interest in what’s going on around us, create an opinion and then express it. We need to rise above and earn our rightful place in conversations as actual adults, confident and well-informed. Armed with facts, we should be able to hold our ground. Because hey, even if Jon Snow knew nothing, he survived till the end, didn’t he? (Spoiler alert)
And even if my speech isn’t motivating enough for you, tell me you aren’t tired of listening to one more individual brimming with confidence yet stating false facts. So just to prove them wrong, be aware, learn more, speak up more. Because if you don’t, get ready to be directed and governed by misinformed fools.
Lastly, don't forget what Martin Luther said, Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
