Zimpapers Logo

Flora Teckie, Bahá’í Perspective

The International Youth Day is an opportunity to reflect on the role of youth in building better communities and a peaceful global society.

International Youth day is celebrated every year on August 12.

Our youth have great potential, and an appropriate education is the most effective way to harness their potential and empower them to build a better world.

Through an effective education our youth would be empowered to act in the long-term interests of humanity. The Bahá’í International Community, in one of its statements, says: “The future of today’s society will depend to a great extent on the manner in which educational programmes and methods are designed to release the latent potential of youth and prepare them for the world they will inherit. The connection between education and individual and collective well-being is well established”.

An appropriate education entails acquiring spiritual qualities and useful qualifications, it involves developing a high-minded outlook and an upright character that will exert influence upon world developments, and the creation of a productive, progressive and peaceful future.

Our youth should be empowered to express their God-given talents and capacities in service to humanity. It is through service to others that one can help bring about social change.

Of course, while it is true that the future of our societies depends on the youth of today, they are present in our communities right now.

How do we use their energy and talents for the betterment of society now?

Channelling the energies of youth to build better communities

Our current approaches to education often treat young people in a passive way, as receptacles of information rather than active members of their community. Yet our youth are anxious to become partners in helping to plan the world they will inherit.

It is through service to others that youth can grow personally, and enhance their capacity to contribute to social progress. For them to contribute to social progress and building of a better world, they need to prepare themselves for this task.

Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, compares human beings to a mine containing many hidden jewels, waiting to be discovered. He says: “Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit there from”.

Accordingly, the purpose of education should be enhancing the inherent capacities of our youth, rather than considering them as empty vessels that need to be filled with instructions and information. It is to prepare them effectively to serve their communities and humanity.

To channel the energy of youth towards the betterment of society is possible through an education that would enrich both the mind and the spirit. According to the Bahá’í Writings: “This education … in order to be adequate and fruitful should be comprehensive in nature and should take into consideration not only the physical and the intellectual side of man but also his spiritual and ethical aspects”.

It should cultivate behaviours characterised by decency and integrity of conduct, trustworthiness, and freedom from all kinds of prejudice.

The concept of a two-fold moral purpose

To enable youth to build a better world, there is need for an educational process that contributes to both individual growth and social transformation.

“Educational processes”, according to the Bahá’í International Community, “should assist youth to recognise and express their potentialities while developing in them the capacity to contribute to the spiritual and material prosperity of their communities. Indeed, one cannot fully develop one’s talents and capabilities in isolation from others. The concept of a two-fold moral purpose—to develop one’s inherent potentialities and to contribute to the transformation of society—provides an important axis of the educational process”.

Educational programmes and activities should, therefore, contribute to two aspects: one is the development of individual intellectual and spiritual capacities; the other is towards the betterment of society. Motivation, and willingness to get involved in activities intended to benefit the whole human family, is one of the most pressing needs of our times.

To prepare our youth to act in the long-term interests of humanity, we need to instil in them the awareness of the fundamental oneness of humanity. They should be taught to consider all humanity as members of one family, and to be just towards all.

The Bahá’í Writings state that, “The supreme need of humanity is cooperation and reciprocity. The stronger the ties of fellowship and solidarity amongst men, the greater will be the power of constructiveness and accomplishment in all the planes of human activity. Without cooperation and reciprocal attitude, the individual member of human society remains self-centred, uninspired by altruistic purposes…”.

By nurturing in our youth, the consciousness of the oneness of humanity, they can be empowered to build a just, united, and peaceful world.

Feedback: [email protected] or [email protected] Website: www.bahai.org