Is Something Happening to our Youth?

[Kenny]

Do you think that the youth of today are loosing spirituality? Over 191,000 attending Fields of Faith in 2018 and that is just one effort among many.

Do you believe that spirituality is on the downturn? Or do you believe that because of today's increasing pressures on our youth is pushing them to spirituality for answers?

 

[Father Heathen]

Define "spirituality". It's one of those vague, nebulous terms that can mean very different things to a whole lot of people.

 

[ChristineM]

I believe that the internet is emboldening young people to question the status quo, they are making decisions about their core beliefs based on a wide range of information where they used to be influenced by parents and friends.

The result is a more worldly and less spiritual youth.

 

[Nakosis]

Do you think that the youth of today are loosing spirituality? Over 191,000 attending Fields of Faith in 2018 and that is just one effort among many.

Do you believe that spirituality is on the downturn? Or do you believe that because of today's increasing pressures on our youth is pushing them to spirituality for answers?

Can you better define what you feel is being lost?

 

[TransmutingSoul]

The youth have great capacity to lead humanity in spiritual virtues. Youth can move the world.

Regards Tony

 

[SomeRandom]

Youth always revolts against the status quo.
Even Plato was yelling at the darn kids to get off his lawn.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

This is one of those questions that I believe gets asked by every generation who believes they remember their own youth being entirely different than the up-and-comers of the latest generation(s). And I think the perception has to do with the amount of exposure to outside/foreign/new ideas and concepts that children have at their disposal in each successive generation as opposed to the former generation. For quite a few centuries now, we have only been moving forward in our development of technology, society and culture. Each aging generation sees kids of the contemporary generation doing things in "newfangled" and strange ways. And I believe that the older people get, the less "open" to new ideas they become - to the point that, in general, this attitude of being somewhat intolerant of new ideas tends to paint the elderly generation's view of the up-and-comers as if "they are doing something wrong." So that any misdeed is then amplified through that general-malaise lens that is already being worn. And then its "See, I told you this new-age stuff just isn't right!" all over the place.

 

[Skwim]

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[Vinayaka]

I heard the other day about a few youth who were born into old money, and had decided to give up their inheritance wealth in favour of doing their share, and earning some wealth on their own. That was inspiring.

 

[Vinayaka]

This is one of those questions that I believe gets asked by every generation who believes they remember their own youth being entirely different than the up-and-comers of the latest generation(s). And I think the perception has to do with the amount of exposure to outside/foreign/new ideas and concepts that children have at their disposal in each successive generation as opposed to the former generation. For quite a few centuries now, we have only been moving forward in our development of technology, society and culture. Each aging generation sees kids of the contemporary generation doing things in "newfangled" and strange ways. And I believe that the older people get, the less "open" to new ideas they become - to the point that, in general, this attitude of being somewhat intolerant of new ideas tends to paint the elderly generation's view of the up-and-comers as if "they are doing something wrong." So that any misdeed is then amplified through that general-malaise lens that is already being worn. And then its "See, I told you this new-age stuff just isn't right!" all over the place.

And along with this observation, I would add that people seem to (conveniently) forget that they were youth at one point.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Do you believe that spirituality is on the downturn? Or do you believe that because of today's increasing pressures on our youth is pushing them to spirituality for answers?

Dunno. What is the "spiritual answer" to which major in university will lead to the best outcome in my future career? What's the "spiritual answer" to how best to save and invest for your future, and for those of your eventual offspring? Or how about the "spiritual answer" to the problems we are likely to face due to our continued rape and pillage of our planet and our environment -- this being, so far, the only place we've got to go?

And so many other, really important questions that seem intractable to spiritual inquiry.​

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Many youth are more environmentally aware and conscious of the needs of others--more accepting of differences as well. That's some good spirituality right there!

 

[sun rise]

Dunno. What is the "spiritual answer" to which major in university will lead to the best outcome in my future career? What's the "spiritual answer" to how best to save and invest for your future, and for those of your eventual offspring? Or how about the "spiritual answer" to the problems we are likely to face due to our continued rape and pillage of our planet and our environment -- this being, so far, the only place we've got to go?

And so many other, really important questions that seem intractable to spiritual inquiry.​

That's making the word 'spiritual' utterly meaningless.The spiritual question about, say, career could be "what choice can I make that would make me a better human being more able to bring light into the world?". Maybe it's being a better farmer growing healthier food. Maybe a lawyer working for justice. Maybe an actor bringing insight into the human condition into a play.

Another way of looking at the word "spiritual" is:
“Anyone who has had a truly “spiritual” moment, a moment of breaking through our day-to-day reality and touching the divine, knows how difficult it is to communicate that experience to others— or even to recapture it later for ourselves." Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

 

[nPeace]

Do you think that the youth of today are loosing spirituality? Over 191,000 attending Fields of Faith in 2018 and that is just one effort among many.

Do you believe that spirituality is on the downturn? Or do you believe that because of today's increasing pressures on our youth is pushing them to spirituality for answers?

It's quite obvious to me that less and less people are fitting the description Jesus gave at Matthew 5:3. Evidently it is due to the change of the tide of this world. However, relatively, many persons - youth included - are still swimming against the tide, and Jesus' words apply to them.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

That's making the word 'spiritual' utterly meaningless.The spiritual question about, say, career could be "what choice can I make that would make me a better human being more able to bring light into the world?". Maybe it's being a better farmer growing healthier food. Maybe a lawyer working for justice. Maybe an actor bringing insight into the human condition into a play.

I make you a solemn promise here -- the more people who engage in that kind of decision making, the more it will impoverish the world. Oh, whoever is left will be all gooshy spiritual, I'm sure, but they'll also be starving.

Another way of looking at the word "spiritual" is:
“Anyone who has had a truly “spiritual” moment, a moment of breaking through our day-to-day reality and touching the divine, knows how difficult it is to communicate that experience to others— or even to recapture it later for ourselves." Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Well, for the record, I do not accept the notion of "the divine." So I attribute that "experience" to the same sort of thing as I do dreaming. And everybody knows that dreams are just as difficult to communicate -- or even recapture.

 

[Kenny]

Define "spirituality". It's one of those vague, nebulous terms that can mean very different things to a whole lot of people.

Seeking a spiritual answer for today's difficulties vs. simple reasonings.

 

[Kenny]

Can you better define what you feel is being lost?

seeking the spiritual side of life.

 

[Kenny]

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those stats are a little old... 2009?

 

[Kenny]

Dunno. What is the "spiritual answer" to which major in university will lead to the best outcome in my future career? What's the "spiritual answer" to how best to save and invest for your future, and for those of your eventual offspring? Or how about the "spiritual answer" to the problems we are likely to face due to our continued rape and pillage of our planet and our environment -- this being, so far, the only place we've got to go?

And so many other, really important questions that seem intractable to spiritual inquiry.​

You could always pray about those answer

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

You could always pray about those answer

To whom? How would that be better than actually thinking, using all the information available to you?