“We are shaped by our thought, we become what we think.”- Buddha
Youths are a special group of people with strong will and passion for achieving a dream or set of goals. For different generations, youths have shown certain characteristics that distinguishes them from the rest; characteristics that have become the propelling factors for national development- zealousness, curiosity, hard work, radicalism, impatient for change, and ambition among many more. There are an estimated 1.2 billion young people aged between 15-40 in the world, with the vast majority of them residing in developing countries (Mauritius, for instance).
Youth is, on real basis, not restricted to a particular age. Everything comes from the mind, so you are as young as you think you are. An individual of 70 years may be more youthful than someone of 30 years. There is no exact age group for youth, and as such for the UN, youth falls between the age of 15-24 or varies to 18-30. However, on which ground? If it is about stamina, then Fauja Singh, aged 109 years, is still young for he holds a world record in marathon. If it is about success rate then Henry Ford and Abraham Lincoln, among many others, were still young at the age of 40 years or Charles Darwin at the age of 50. Therefore, being young is not a matter of time or a privilege. It is simply a matter of choice. Life is made up of life and death but between these two are the choices we make. We can choose to stay young forever or we can choose to age with time. It is simply a matter of thought for we are a product of our thought. It is akin to taking a pharmacologically useless sugar pill that you are told is a powerful drug for your headache or backache, and as if by magic, you suddenly feel better.“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it “Steve Maraboli”.
There is a common belief that if people fail to be responsible or fail to achieve a certain level of success during his youth, he/ she will have a hardship during his/ her older days. If a person does not have a suitable fix job by 30 years, he is seen as a failure; if he is not married or engaged, he will be considered as old. Society’s prejudices generate or reinforce in a person, what is known as, a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is when we believe that braininess and talents are innate and unalterable. It is the belief that if you are a failure at birth, you remain a failure your whole life. People with fixed mindset avoid challenges, they think it is hard and success is not assured, so rather than taking the risk they choose to avoid challenges and stick to their comfort zone. The root of this issue begins from the early age. Several youths have a problem when it comes to what they think about themselves, many have low esteem that they cannot map out ways to break their of their psychological prison. If you think of a certain character that defines you, you would certainly live your everyday life thinking you are that person and you cannot change. On the contrary, a person with growth mindset accepts criticism and sees an opportunity to know one’s weakness and Achilles’ heel so he can go ahead in growing better. “Growth mindset” is the name given by psychologist Carol Dweck to the idea that intelligence can develop, and that effort leads to success. James Allen said, “Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapon by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy, strength and peace. By right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two are all the grade of character and man is their maker and master”. Youngsters are usually more flexible and adaptive. We are less reluctant to changes and looks for opportunities. There lies the Youth Mindset; in always accepting changes and adapting with time. People who are able to keep their minds open and updated remain young for their whole life.
Nearing the end of this narrative, it is only fitting to reflect upon these words of General Douglas MacArthur, who forever captures the essence of the Youth Mindset in his statement: “Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith as old as your doubts; as young as self-confidence as old as your fear; as young as your hope as old as your despair”
