Youth - then and now!!!

by **Raj Vamsi** » Sat Mar 01, 2003 11:16 am

Hi guys and gals! Are we, the youth of today, getting misled by superficial things in life? There was an article by a member stating that the behaviour of the youth is wanting free sex, booze and fun, and asking if it was good. Is it only this? No offence meant... some members even agreed that sex, booze etc are real fun. Well, I am not trying to be smart and neither am I being skeptic... but are they worth it? I guess many of you might have seen the movie \"The Legend of Bhagat Singh\". There is a scene in that which has the inscription \"dogs and Indians are not allowed\". That really moved me. We gained independence after such a struggle - of course, it was delayed by \'non-violence\' - but are we worth that struggle for independence? 
When we talk of success with reference to life, it does not merely mean succeeding in everything that we undertake or do; it does not merely mean succeeding in fulfilling all wants or getting whatever we desire; it does not just mean acquiring a name or attaining a position or imitating fashionable ways to appear modern or up-to-date. The essence of true success is what we, the youth, make of ourselves. It is the conduct of life that we develop, it is the character that we cultivate and it is the type of person we become. This is the central meaning of successful living. And this is what today\'s youth should look up to. (contd...)

by **Raj Vamsi** » Sat Mar 01, 2003 11:20 am

I have an appeal to make - I didn\'t mean offence in any way... there is nothing to get offended about. Just go through that matter twice and we will know where the problem lies. No individual can bring about drastic changes in the society, but \'youth\' collectively can. A group can bring about motivation. Let\'s get our act together. Plz post ur valuable suggestions/criticisms/opinions.

by **Vishnusri** » Sat Mar 01, 2003 12:14 pm

Hi there! Good, much needed subject. But it\'s almost forgotten or least bothered with since the pitch of those shrieks is outsmarted and perfectly lost with the medicore mindsets of the modern, so called civilized, democratic and hypocritically liberal attitudes. The perverted youth under the spell of cinematic values or the acquired behaviour of the so-called modernisation or cultural impotency or itch of follow-the-goat mentality cannot withstand the dictating needs of modern crises. It needs may be experiences like a foreign rule or utter poverty or something similar to shake us to the roots and shift our priorities to realize the need of the hour. Or may be we need atomic weapon to deal with it. Anyway, thanks for the subject. will update later again...

by **Sakshi** » Sun Mar 02, 2003 12:46 pm

I agree with your views. Youth is a important phase in life. Students should study as well as learn to build up a personality of their own. We should realise that life is not just getting up every morning, eating, studying and then sleeping. Life wants a lot more from us (youth). Hope each of us realises our talents and puts them to good use.

by **Karthik** » Sun Mar 23, 2003 11:24 am

Yes, Sakshi and Vishnusri, it has been 22 days since there has been a post in this board. that itself reflects the present day attitude of youth. we tend to be more intrested in subjects like girls, dating etc at the expense of our responsiblities. by the way .. great topic mr.raj and good matter too... guess u must be waiting for some posts feeling embarassed to post further... good job!

by **A brooding Youth** » Sun Mar 23, 2003 9:26 pm

I am really scary of the future when I see how pre-occupied the youth of today is with matters which really don\'t deserve much attention. It was funny to see the nuumber of responses to a topic exuding nothing but ludicrity (What should I wear on a first date). At the same time, some thought provoking ones (like the present one or the one about sensitivity in movies or about the Bioinformatics) hardly evoke any response. Is it the raging hormones or something else. Or is the youth of today is so naive to have an opinion on these matters of pressing nature. Can the youth of today raise as one single force, if some other country (as it did in the past) dared to snare at the country? I am not a pessimist, but I really doubt, it will. Its high time guys, break loose from the shackles of cricket, films and dating. Nothing wrong with any of these - but don\'t always live in a world of mirages. Don\'t try to emulate USA - the best one we should try to emulate is our neighbour, China.

by **Karthik** » Sun Mar 23, 2003 11:16 pm

that was a very good post... yes we do need to realize some of the values and derive inspiration from countries like china.

by **Srinu** » Sun Mar 23, 2003 11:27 pm

Well, time brings changes to values/ideals/morals. What u think is good may not necessarily sound good to others. What may sound very shallow for someone (that \"what dress do I wear on my first date\" sounds very shallow to me too) but it may be something really important for someone else. And anyways all work an no play is no fun. But I really believe the youth today has more confidence than probably the previous generation. All they need is some channeling. More later..

by **A Brooding Youth** » Mon Mar 24, 2003 8:28 am

Srinu, I beg to differ. If values/ideals/morals change with time, then they are no longer values/ideals/morals. I do agree that good and bad are always relative and I am also aware what that what is food for one can be poison for others. But, the question here is not about preferences but duties, certain obligations as a citizen, as a patriot, towards which we are turning a Nelson\'s eye. Let\'s ask ourselves (very honestly), how many of us can sacrifice (or at least think of sacrificing) for a noble cause of the society or the country. We leave it for \"those men and women\" at the borders. We never realise that \"those\" are also just ordinary guys and gals (and who incidentally also have this dilemma of what to wear on a first date). But then why should they be protecting us? Is it just because they joined the defence forces? Not at all fair, isn\'t it?
I agree the youth today is more confident - but I am afraid it is all misplaced. There has never been in history of India as the present time, where the youth is so obsessed with monetary and materialistic pleasures. Confidence is not just becoming self-reliant (and flying to an alien nation or getting a fat-salary) but rising upto an occassion as a force as an entity as a creative jaggernaut which just rolls on as if there is no morrow. The country doen\'t need a Mahatma (with all due respect to Him - may His soul rest in peace) but it badly needs a Vivekananda.
I am also equally guilty. Having earned a degree in Surgery in India, I am now staying in USA. But I am quite determined to return to India and Hyderabad (I pray everyday that God give me enough strength to keep up this resolve).
Excuse my long posting - I just get emotionally agitated and drained whenever such topics come for discussion!

by **Srinu** » Mon Mar 24, 2003 12:30 pm

Hmm, I did mention that the youth actually need some guidance in channelling their enthusiasm/confidence in the right direction. And I still maintain that values/morals change. The threshold for what\'s right and what\'s wrong change. Anyways, coming back to the main issue, I don\'t intend to be disrespectful, but why are we obsessed with what greats ppl in the past were? And I know the soldiers on the border are doing a job which we should be proud of... but why do you talk of them as separate from the youth of the country? THEY ARE the youth of this country as well. So you mean to say this board was just for the youth that is NOT in the armed forces? Everyone makes a contribution in his own way, be it a young farmer who toils in the sun or a \"hi-tech\" software engineer who sits in his a/c room developing software. It all adds up. More coming soon...

by **A Brooding Youth** » Tue Mar 25, 2003 5:55 am

Nothing wrong in looking forward to the great people of past. We always need some inspiration to succeed in life. For a child first learning to walk, anyone walking erect is a great source of inspiration. And in the pursuit of trying to imitate, we all learn to walk. And if we forget history, we will be condemned to repeat it.
 As to the soldiers being not separate from rest of the youth, exactly! That\'s the point. Don\'t you think life is sometimes unfair? On one hand we have a bubbling young soldier who is not sure (God forbid it) if he is going to be there for his next birthday. Contrast this with a \"regular\" youth who is all agitated just because he couldn\'t get a ticket for his favorite hero\'s movie or the girl/boyfriend has turned up late than promised! 
I don\'t know, may be I am dreaming to the extent of being Utopian. I fully agree with you regarding the contributions made by a farmer or a programmer. I didn\'t mean that everyone has to be a soldier literally. I am only peeved at those youth whose lives revolve around mundane things - ALWAYS. There is a time and limit for everything. I am sure, you will agree that youth doesn\'t mean a license to be reckless, aimless, non-diligent or devil-may care attitude.

by **Raj Vamsi** » Tue Mar 25, 2003 10:06 am

hi members,
i feel both srinu and brooding youth are correct in their views. we are fortunate to meet here as, only youth of similar idealogies converge in this post. all of us have more or less, the same objectives. So where do we go from here. One thing is for sure, we need to bring about this awareness among our fellow members and friends. how do we do that? this is easier said than done. a tough job, but is definitely possible. any suggestions???

by **:)))))** » Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:51 am

Uh-oh! I am sorry that I missed out on this topic for such a length of time! One of the most needed topics to be discussed. Good one Raj! My suggestion: keep writing, somewhere somehow it will work. They may not post but will surely read and assimilate it for later use...

by **popesmokesdope** » Wed Mar 26, 2003 11:17 am

1. Generational labels are a false identity, but hold a seductive appeal. The insecure are comforted by speaking for others (even if no one asked them to). It is frightening to stand alone in a crowd, but empowering to represent a multitude...being young you can also claim to represent \"the future\" (as opposed to merely representing your tiny part in the future). The point is why target only the youth ?
2. The problem with popular entertainment is not its sex, drugs and violence, but its lack of diverse viewpoints. In every tale of land developers vs. environmentalits, you already know who\'s sleazy, who\'s honest. Humans are always bigots, and bigots are always Human. Rather than fretting over TV sex and violence....what the yputh really needs is more diversity from its myth-making media (read more mordernism and fashion statements....Fight culture by creating more culture. ). Popular entertainment spins our hopes and dreams and nightmares, our heroes and villains. It is the prism through which the youth interprets all it sees. Generation Y is blissfully ignorant of the greenhouse effect/global warming, prey to their professors\' revisionism...the same reason applies for me not liking \"Bahgat singh\"...history was way too twisted and biased.
3. If you are attributing to the fact that sex and booze appear to be mordern or fashionable, then you should seriosuly reconsider that (see there is the problem!!). There is no way one can define modernism because the very same masses that we consider are traditional or conservative today were labelled modern in their time mordern and I\'m sure a lot of the stuff that some of us find pretty offensive today because it is moving along with the times will be considered a traditional a few decades down the line. Even Mother Theresa must have had a darker side.
4. Finally, Mr Raj Vamsi, it was really unjust of you to jump into conclusions based upon these bulletin boards here. A lot of people just visit these boards just to have fun and unwind themsleves, discussing serious issues could be vexing at times. These posts here hardly reflect the character of a person...so teh sublect becomes even the more trivial....to each one his/her owm. Enough said..

by **Raj Vamsi** » Wed Mar 26, 2003 2:24 pm

Hi popesmokesdope,
sorry for that conclusion. i jumped the gun. anyway ur article was good inspite of a glitch. well i do agree with . .. - \" There is no way one can define modernism because the very same masses that we consider are traditional or conservative today were labelled modern in their time mordern and I\'m sure a lot of the stuff that some of us find pretty offensive today because it is moving along with the times will be considered a traditional a few decades down the line \" . - .. but that doesn\'t mean every era lacked discipline it ought to have. i mean to say our previous generations had a greater dedication than us. they were not this materialistic or selfish. i agree selfishness has become an integral part of us. but it has become more predominant. that is what has become something of concern. we are more concerned about superficial things. we are going no where. when i say \'we\' it doesn\'t mean me and you alone... we might be fortunate enough to be at good institutes and organizatoins but i feel, we surely lack the essence of life. i know u\'d be differing. what have u to say?

by **A Brooding Youth** » Thu Mar 27, 2003 6:17 am

So what\'s your point? When I come across such rudderless blabber, so full of themselves, I become even more pessimistic! This \"me damn care\", \"you are all wrong\" attitude is very harmful - to self and also society. There are certain values which need to be always upheld. They have nothing to do with modernism. Its unfortunate that youth of today find it \"not at all modern\" if you have certain morals. For them morals are for geeks. My intentions are not to preach, but I have seen your other postings. Most of them seem to be on a collision course. There is absolutely nothing wrong in being iconoclastic but do that in a positive way. One doesn\'t have to have a difference of opinion just because one has these bouts of hallucination that he/she is Different! I really hate especially when someone indulges in mud-slinging on people who are no longer alive (Mother Teresa or Bhagat Singh) because there is no way we can hear their point of view. Let us not make them roll restlessly in their graves. They already suffered a lot just for the sake of others!

by **Karthik** » Thu Mar 27, 2003 8:30 am

Well said Brooding Youth! Mr. popesmokesdope, your post was good, but why do you go about being critical of everything? And Mother Teresa having a dark side... It sucks. Mr. Raj was correct when he said that similar minds converge here. We are not here just for fun or \'unwinding\' as u said. We are serious about the topic and if you really insist on unwinding yourself, I guess there are many other posts like the booze one or the date one... no offence meant.

by **popesmokesdope** » Thu Mar 27, 2003 2:32 pm

Erm... read the post carefully Brooding Youth/Karthik. The definition of modernism in jargon only is the search for a re-humanizing force in any given cultural environment. You seem to critique modernism severely for dismembering itself from true ingenuity by means of an iconoclastic utopianism... which IMHO is not true. The youth today(in fact everyone... even the grown-ups) find the simplistic, puritan idiom far too unidimensional for their liking, and they seem to believe that they can find solace by breaking away from classicism and the formal, orthodox/conservative society. So they are paring it down, stripping it of its excesses, and making expression anonymous. Instead of blaming the youth, we can actually question the quintessence of the culture/tradition itself. Maybe our culture is not defiant enough and simply cannot cope up with the future demands. The true strength of any culture can be significantly appreciated only through its ability to convince the aam junta of any generation, and having convinced it, should retain their interests through changes in time. Sadly, our culture seems to be wound in its cocoon of narcisism like Mr Brooding Youth here (which I have come to the conclusion based upon his last posts and his liberal use of the I/My operator) and totally fails to see the needs of the people. Culture always has been dependent on the masses and it is high time it starts resonating with the evolution of the human brain as their needs. And Mr Brooding Youth, culture and morality are not meant be \"preached\"... it is a school of thought and should be nurtured within oneself, oblivious to the surrounding. You speak so highly of Mother Teresa and Bhagat Singh, for your information they wouldn\'t have reached such heights if not for their defiant nature. I suppose you would be familiar with the Cubist philosophy... straight lines, interceding planes, puritan expression. Even though it was primarily a movement in the visual arts, the same bent of mind should be seeping in through this present generation.

by **Srinu** » Thu Mar 27, 2003 4:12 pm

man, that was some post... i needed a dictionary to understand what it was all about..

anyways.. guys, EVERYBODY has their own opinions.. so lets learn to live and let live.. agree to disagree....

hope this takes some heat out of the discussion. and as with many others (as PSD said), i come to these boards for fun and entertainment... but that doesnt stop me from forming/passing an opinion on topics that interest me. and when i wondered (in my earlier post) why we are so obsessed with the greats from the past, i basically meant the same thing as PSD was saying. For every 100 books which claim the mahatma was great, there is at least 1 book which talks of his weaknesses. Now this might seem very radical. But will the kashmiri terrorists someday be called as freedom fighters(if ever a \"free\" kashmiri state is created)and chapters devoted to them in text books and movies made of them? And no, i am NOT comparing them to our freedom fighters. more later...

by **A Brooding Youth** » Fri Mar 28, 2003 7:42 am

The essential quality of anyone dreaming to be an iconoclast is to be incisive and pithy. Flowery language and fiery passion are a poor blend in the long term though initially very attractive. And what is wrong with our culture. It is very unfortunate that it has become a national pastime to criticize our culture. No culture can boast of being quintessential at the expense of marring its evolvement. And nurturing culture oblivious of the surroundings!!!! Heights of preposterousness!!! What is culture? People LEARN culture. From where? From the surrounds. Many qualities of human life are transmitted genetically - an infant\'s desire for food, for example, is triggered by physiological characteristics determined within the human genetic code. An adult\'s specific desire for a cup of tea in the morning, on the other hand, cannot be explained genetically; rather, it is a learned (cultural) response to morning craving. Culture, as a body of learned behaviors common to a given human society, acts rather like a template (i.e. it has predictable form and content), shaping behavior and consciousness within a human society from generation to generation. So culture resides in all LEARNED behavior and in some shaping template or consciousness prior to behavior as well (that is, a \"cultural template\" can be in place prior to the birth of an individual person). Unfortunately, the processes of culture revamp are rapidly creating a class of supercilious infidels, who end up believing in nothing and start questioning anything which has some roots.

Cubism… hmm!!! What does a cubist do? Takes a perfect instrument, say a violin, and paints it as a number of superimposed geometrical shapes of varying shades. Metaphorically speaking, a vain attempt to communicate by stringing together heavy words without the connectives and allusions we, the lesser mortals, are so accustomed to. Agreed this attitude has its merits, but it also has its drawbacks. No one can play music with the cubist\'s idea of a violin or very few people could understand such writings. Sorry to say, but Popesmokedope’s (does an aspiring reformist has to be so radical as to go around with a name that says pope smoke dopes – why target the pope? tch…tch…tch – Well, so much for individualistic freedom!) atomistic view of society can only nourish the assignment of a high value to individual freedom, but it seriously impairs the ability to understand much that’s going on in the real world. Mother Teresa and Bhagat Singh were iconoclastic but according to a majority in a very positive way. Being iconoclastic in a positive way, always welcome. One can go around without clothes and still claim to be an iconoclastic! But for the society, he/she is some damn nudist (if you are living in West!) or a demented soul crying for some help.

One can’t avoid getting pissed when people talk about cubism and stuff. Where the hell did Picasso learn how to paint cubist if he hadn\'t seen an African mask in his life before? Now mind you Africa is (and still is) considered as the most backward in terms of development and also culture! OK, on an optimistic note, if one is hell-bent on cubistic society, one should be prepared for all the criticism and attempt to convert them into accolades because in 1909 when Picasso and Braque made their first forays into what would later be called Cubism, critics were less than overwhelmed; their reactions ranged from \"ugly\" to \"grotesque.\" But within two decades, the new style, with its bold colors and fractured geometry, had found its way into French homes as decorative artists created Cubist-inspired lamps, folding screens, clothing and other everyday objects. Bottom-line: Learn to draw before dreaming to be a cubist!

And coming to the narcissism, it is better than impetuousness. A narcissist at the most can harm himself but being impetuous only leaves a long trail of mayhem behind. And don’t we all know that from the cocoon emerges the butterfly. And isn’t the cocoon the foundation of yards of fine silk wound in the most intricate pattern which no technology can even think of imitating or reproducing! And a cocoon doesn’t need any extraneous forces to break upon – it just knows when the time’s perfect!

Lastly, it is high time, we keep to our own identity by sticking to the practices we have right at the moment and making our voices heard without going out bowl-in-hand to beg for “cultural handouts” from “evolved” societies and stuff, which unfortunately a lot of us have the penchant for doing.

PS: There isn’t a single I/me (except for here). Does that mean one narcissist has attained salvation

?

Srinu (and to whoever cares to read this)! Really sorry, for this long posting. Couldn’t just resist it!

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