Are you or your kids feeling the weight of the world?

The Weight of the World

Today’s youth seem to be going through a lot of conflicting emotions. With the influence of the media, they feel angry and want to blame others. In dark emotional moments they feel a sense of hopelessness, like nothing they do could matter. At the same time, today's energetic youth are more active, inspired, educated and hopeful than any other generation. Yet there is the real danger of becoming so busy with too many opportunities that they risk burnout. 

People of all ages seem to be feeling the weight of the world... and I want to address this issue today. First, let me clarify that – yes, there is a huge amount of work left for us to attend to in order to create a sustainable planet. However:

Let us remember the world my parents’ inherited. When they were teenagers in the 60’s, their parents were hardened, afraid and followed the rules… they didn’t rock the boat much, having just come out of a war and endured a sever economic depression. But their children - theirs was the generation that questioned and rebelled against …well, pretty much everything. They began the changes we are feeling today, and the next few generations have taken those sparks of change and continue to build on them.

Sadly the media plays on our fears and shocks us constantly with all that is wrong or perceived to be wrong in the world. Perhaps we should be focusing instead on the wonderful things going on instead. Turn off the negative media and start tuning into radio programs like Conscious Discussions Talk Radio, and inspiring stories you find on our blog. Experts often recommend getting involved in non-profit and community endeavours because it allows us to see the hard and earnest work going on and that the weight is not just on any one individual or any one generation’s shoulders.

Since the ‘60’s we have seen incredible positive change evolving across the globe:

-Political walls have come down (Berlin Wall, Iron Curtain)

-Fair trades/tariffs/taxes

-End of apartheid

-Recycling programs are common

-The “sustainability” movement (affecting every sector of life from every day activities and food, to business, energy, transportation, politics and industry)

-Technology advancements

-The number of non-profits and volunteers has grown exponentially

-Conscious consumerism is becoming the norm

-Substantially enlarged knowledge base

-Anti-poverty efforts resulted in cutting the number of people in severe poverty (living on a dollar or less a day) in half - just in the last 10 years!

-Democracy and peace, cooperation and communication has increased

It was an incredible struggle; it took all of us, each participating in their own way. One person started a back yard garden, another person volunteered at the food bank, someone else participated in a volunteer vacation adventure, another person investing in solar energy, someone else inventing in their garage… and the conscious consumer. It takes us all.

I’d love to hear readers suggestions (as I’m not a parent) as to how we can help today’s youth see the world in a more positive light, feel inspired about the impact they could have, and yet not end up burning out. Please do feel free to start up a conversation about this on your social media outlet of choice, share this blog post, and comment if you have something you'd like to share. ...and you can always contact me directly via our website :)

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