My Youth

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Compassionate. 

“Live today, like you born were born yesterday and (as if) you’re going to die tomorrow”, 

Ami Samsuri.

                Teenagers seem to always forget about the one thing that they have but adults could only dream of having. Teenagers have their youth that only lasts for a few years, which makes it very valuable. But youth is always taken for granted by teenagers, due to their lack of knowledge and experience. Teenagers do not see the correct way of spending their youth. Youth is then wasted through wild rages, uncontrollable fights and pre-marital sex. Adults, on the other hand, would give anything to relive the glory days. But now they could only reminisce about the time when they were still the quarterback of the football team or the time when they were the most popular girl in high school. An unfortunate middle-aged man would reach a certain stage in his life and ask himself, “What happened to the last ten years of my life.” It is a stage where everyone might reach if their youth is not well spent.

                How come every time we go and flip on the news channel, we see these images of teenagers having crude manner. We get anxiety from news that was downright disturbing. It had been reported that in Selangor, a group of under aged teenagers worked together and raped an adult woman. It has also been reported that 67% street motorcycle racers are aged from 15 to 17 years old. They are the leaders of tomorrow, but they spend their leisure time with raping, robbery and drugs. What will happen to the future generation?

                When we glance upon the past, we can witness that almost all great feats that mankind has achieved are contributed by teenagers. Chairman Mao Tse-tung, a revolutionary that led China into its glory. He achieved the Chinese Revolution with the nation’s youth supporting him. Although he had an army at his disposal, he could not do anything without the support of his people. If he had not first influence the young minds of China at the time, he could not have lead the Chinese Revolution. What teenagers do not know is that they have the ability to change the world. Their unstoppable strength, their untamed spirit and their undying optimism could never be stopped by anyone. Truly, they can change the world as we know it.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,” John Lennon.

                Never be afraid to dream. Teenagers are actually held back by the cliché Malaysian mind-set that considers dreaming is a waste of time. The typical Malaysian would associate dreaming with the lost daydreams of Mat Jenin. However, great people did great things because every single one of them had a dream – and they are willing to work for it. Before Thomas Edison found the light bulb, he only dreamed of producing light with electrical energy. As a boy, he was told that he could never achieve such a crazy thing. But, with hard work and dedication, he finally achieved the then so called impossible.

                Teenagers are willing to dream. They are willing to dream to walk on affordable anti-gravity, to make the world’s first ice-cream that never melts or to be the first man or woman to harness the power of anti-matter. However, the problem is that teenagers do not work to achieve their dreams. They rather waste their time in activities that are for certain unbeneficial to them and the people that they are close to.

                I believe it was Martin Luther King Jr. that once proclaimed in a great speech that is still remembered until now. He said, “I have a dream”. His dream was to see equality among the citizens of the United States of America. No matter they were white, black or even Asian, every American citizen have the right to be accepted into the community. If he kept his dream to himself and never work for it happen, would we still remember his name?

1.                 “So dare to dream. Dream your wildest dreams. You can climb the highest mountain. You can drown in a teacup, if you find a big enough teacup. And if somebody tells you that you can’t do something, you say, ‘Yes, I can. ‘Cause I’m doing it right now!’ ”- Barry

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Vincent Van Gogh. Everyone said to him, "You can't be a great painter, you only have one ear." And you know what he said? "I can't hear you." – Barry

Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Teenagers have a special quality that adults rarely have. Teenagers are rebellious. But, instead of wasting that fiery rebellious spirit to something that is unbeneficial like smoking, it should rather be channelled to something that is far better. Teenagers should use this rebellious strength to prove everyone wrong. Teenagers need to prove themselves that they are more than worthy to be respected by the adults. Teenagers have the ability to be different from the status quo. They can overcome peer pressure and be assertive. They have the will power to say no to smoking, drugs and pre-marital sex. They can avoid joining a gang and get involved in gang wars and street fights. They can stop the world from collapsing. They can change the world. Never ever listen to those voices that are trying to hold you back. They just envy you strength and diligence. That is they are trying to lead you astray from your main objective, which is to turn your wonderful dream into a touchable reality.

 “Doing great things are hard and no one ever said that they were easy. But, no one can ever say that they were impossible.” – Wan Asyraf

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 “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” - Winston Churchill

The only thing in the world that does not change is change itself. Teenagers still have the potential to change. They still can change their future and the world’s destiny altogether. The decision is in their hands. It is never too late to change. Change is always for the best. The quest to achieve the best in life is similar to the endless pursuit of happiness. It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that? - Christopher Gardner Teenagers just need the support from the adults. In spite their pointless rebellions; they still need the guidance from a respectful and experienced parent. Underneath that layer of menacing rage and anger, lies a lost child still searching for his identity. Without the guidance of a loving parent, a teenager is still a simple child. He is still a cold and lonely child, waiting to be loved and guided by his parents.

 “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Mohandas Ghandi