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TOWARDS THE YOUTH
Compilation Committee
Al-Balagh Foundation
In the Name of Allah.
Foreword
This pamphlet is designed by
the Youth Forum in order to accompany youths in the most important part of
their lives, so as to help them understand the reality of this stage and the
expectations which surround them.
Adolescence or puberty means
reaching the age of maturity, which is a stage needed by everybody for the
growth of his personality and achieving the sole aims and great expectations of
his life.
The Youth Forum regards the
adolescent stage as a great responsibility and consignment and believes that
whatever an adolescent possesses of feelings, imagination, enjoyment for beauty,
determination and other talents, is a
treasury bestowed on his choice by the Almighty Allah so as to use it in the way of good and happiness not in the wrong way, which may lead him
towards misery and wretchedness.
Towards the Youth is another
gift from the Youth Forum which deals with topics of youths and their concern. Hoping that
it will be of benefit to the youth and adolescent, who are members of the forum
wherever they are.
New Changes
All of us are witnesses to the beautiful
atmosphere of spring, which delight the spirit and gives pleasure to the mind.
Everything in spring grows up from the beginning. Flowers grow up on the trees
and occupy their compound with their good scent. Farms and gardens become green
from the leaves of crops cultivated there. Birds become delighted from the good
nature. Butterflies dance between the edges of flowers because of the good
weather of spring, and likewise, the atmosphere is playing on the pure sky the
way crow and other birds play.
This is spring, movement,
revolution and birth.
Indeed, Almighty Allah
wishes that the life of man be like the season of the year; starting from
spring and shining on autumn. Man moves through the spring of his life, from
birth to the stage of youth, and his autumn season is the stage of adolescence.
It is at this stage where
man finds his new world, as an exploerer discovering a new land, thereby
continuing his journey in order to spend the most important days of his life.
A little bird never knows
anything except his nest, whose mother prepared for it, and eats from what the
mother carries to it. But when it grows and its wings become strong enough, it
starts training itself how to fly, soars over trees, as well as, chooses the
seeds and fruits it likes.
And likewise the silkworm,
where in the beginning
lives on the leaves of trees and moves slowly. Later on it
confines itself in a cocoon and, then, turns into a very beautiful moth which
attracts the eyes with its different colours and its shining wings. This is how
its life begins till the time it becomes beneficial.
Indeed, this is a new world and a new life. And of course, these changes are
not meant to destroy the infancy stage and its sweetness, rather it is assigned
to return life into order, because, it is a new invention of life naturally.
Buds come out from the earth
so as to grow on its surface, grows and extends its branches, till it becomes a
well grown tree with fruit and tall shadow.
And likewise, we are
witnessing such new inventions in our body. Thus, the teeth break through the
gums of a child so as to prepare him to eat hard food, and thereafter, the
permanent teeth came out in order to replace the temporary ones.
Indeed, the new changes
which occur in the adolescent stage is far more
important than what occur to those buds and the coming out of a child's teeth.
Therefore, it is incumbent on us, at this age, to give much importance to these
new changes so as to be able to benefit from such a condition. And no doubt
benefiting from it, requires a sense of understanding,
patience and endurance, as well as, the sense of responsibility.
It is sound understanding
which connects us directly to a sound life and makes us understand its real
contents.
It is the sense of
responsibility that pushes us toward achieving our goals in life, so as to make
everything at our disposal beneficial to us.
And we need patience and
endurance, so as to continue on the hard path of achieving guidance and our
goals.
And it is possible for every
adolescent to feel the sense of enjoyment and bliss if he prepares for such a
life journey, because the calamity of life is all around, especially at this
stage.
to Understand Matters
How to Look at Life in its Positive Sense
"My family was not friendly with me, and they
didn't give much attention to my needs."
"I started to develop the
sense of hatred for my school, and I cannot learn in it".
"My school is not attractive
to me, so, how I wish I wasn't studying there".
"This friend is not
sacrificial, so he is not supporting me in all matters".
These are some sayings of
youths while discussing their family, as well as, non-family issues.
These are some of the sayings, which portray
the views of this young generation concerning their environment.
An adolescent, like other
human beings, looks into reality around him from his own point of view, but,
sometimes, other's views may pour some dust of doubt and uncertainty.
It is possible that some
youths may have a wrong sense of view, thereby looking at things from a wrong
direction or thinking that his relatives and associates are plotting against
him. Indeed, this young fellow can never see life and the world as he wants to
see it.
Nobody is able to say that
everything in our surroundings are good, but it is a
well known fact that they are not all bad. Rather, there are many things which
are good and can attract man toward goodness. What is important, is for us to
look at these things or at the world in general.
Can I, as a young fellow,
look at life as a source of bliss or as a source of misery and distress? Can I
feel the sense of beautifulness so as to enjoy much, or I should feel the pain
of life? Can I feel free, or I should feel the sense of anxiety and dilemma?
Answering these questions
differs from one person to another.perhaps we can find a great number of
youths that can say we are looking at life as a source of happiness and bliss,
or we are not tasting anything except goodness and we
are feeling nothing except enjoyment. We don't know how unhappiness is, rather
we are always living in certainty; nothing is disturbing us.
But the matter is the
opposite. There are good and bad in our surroundings, as well as, beneficial
and harmful things. There is what may cause enjoyment, as well as, what may
cause pain. Giving birth to a baby in a family, is
good and enjoyable and likewise, the death of a known person in the community
is painful. Sound health is good and beneficial, and sickness is at least
painful. A friend may be sacrifice for us, or defy us when we need his help. It
is possible that I may find a weak or bad teacher or it is possible that one of
parents may be harsh, and the other lenient and soft.
Indeed, we see all these in
our surroundings everyday, but that doesn't mean that whenever we face any
difficulty or anything that touches our feelings, we should become wretched,
because life is mixed with good and bad. What makes us to attain bliss, is the way we play our part in our day to day
affairs.
Thus, it is either that I,
as young fellow, remove the dust on the spectacle which I am using to view
things with, or that I must change it with a new spectacle which corresponds
with my new view and opinion.
However, what do these words
mean?
Indeed, they mean that we
should set down new principles of vision.
1- We should always look at
a container as if it is half fullnot that it is half empty. This wisdom can
make us see the
goodness and beauty of something or a person, instead of concentrating on his
evil and bad side. That is, if I wanted to become neutral and positive, first
of all, I must not be negative; thus, some experts encourage that we should
count someone's goodness; not follow his weak side.
2- We should believe in the
existence of a Director of the world; Who can never
create evil, absolutely. Sometimes the Devil makes us feel challenged in front
of his temptation and deceptions, but whenever we became victorious over him
and achieve a high position in the sight of Allah, we feel happy and delight.
3- We should always look
after beneficial things, and indeed we will get it after hard work and
precautions. It is said that, whoever strives, gets what he strives for, and
whoever plants, can harvest it.
It is possible that an abandoned thing may
have a material or non-material benefit. We may use common things in order to
create a beneficial tool, or we might be able to use our abandoned time in
order to learn an important and beneficial thing. As in the sameway; we can
listen to the saying of a child or a common man, and obtain wisdom from it.
It was reported that a
blacksmith used to gather wasted minerals in one place, then after some time he
would take it to a manufacturing plant for melting, so as to make a cast and
sell it. After some time he became rich from this.
4- We should make it a
belief that we were blessed with uncountable treasures, our only duty is to
extract it to the surface.
In case we didn't believe in
these, we should read the history of the Prophets, pious servants of Allah,
intellectual and other reformers, who possessed nothing from this world except
treasures of knowledge. They got it from themselves, and they were able to
invent and change many things, so that their names remain intact in history.
5- We must always be
thinking of construction, not destruction.
If all of us think about
construction; we desire to keep working and working till we complete it, but
perhaps the following day we had to continue from where we stopped. It is from
here that we will feel delight and happiness.
And indeed, this nature was
given to us by Almighty Allah. He (man) wanted to see that he had invented something
for himself and others, so that his life would be meaningful and beneficial.
But the concept of
destruction means we should destroy all the work we did, or what others had
done. This is because we envy or are jealous of them. How can any one like this
achieve bliss and happiness?
6- We should love ourselves
without arrogance and exaggeration.
And we should love others
without humiliation and debasement.
Loving ourselves means we
want good for the self. It is in view of this that we
are not taking the self to where it will be harmed, as well as, providing it
with what will benefit it, like knowledge, culture, morals, good health, etc.
And likewise, our love
toward others means that we wish them good and
prosperity. If they make a mistake, we forgive them, but if they continue their
evil acts against us, then we should defend ouselves. We should not envy them
in their bad habits, because the love is still in our heart, and this love may
protect us from the disease of hatred, envy and jeal-ousy.
7- We should always be
optimistic, because optimism is the beginning of all good deeds and an
important achievement.
Therefore, be optimistic
toward good, you can obtain it.
We are optimistic because
life gives us a great chance for action and success. Indeed, The Almighty Allah
has bestowed on us uncountable blessings. He always guides us toward goodness
and benefit.
8- Many times, bitter
experiences change gradually, no matter what they are.
A rock, no matter how hard
it is, can be cut by sparkling water, then it will
turn into a hole, then with time it will turn into big hole. Indeed this is
natural.
A seed, for example, if
buried in fertile
soil, and water pours over it, with time it will become a fine grown trees. A
proverb states that: "Every incoming is nearer".
Another thing is that human
beings can cope with any situation, no matter how diffi-cult it is. Man lives
in the far east, where vapor becomes ice due to
intense cold, as he also lives in a hot region. He lives on the top of a hill,
and he lives in a hot sahara.
Therefore, what is the need
for impat-ience, fear, anxiety and pessimism?
9- There is wisdom found in
difficulties.
The memoirs of most leaders
and well-known people contain various tragic stories took place on them, like
the death of their dear ones, or great losses inflicted on their wealth and
businesses, etc. But these difficulties made them successful in their lives.
And the people, due to this respected them.
10- It is possible to
correct mistakes and evil, and turn them into good and righteous deed. Indeed,
we commit most of our mistak-es, due to lack of our inexperience and ignorance,
or because we are careless and we don't give it the desired care. If we use our
experiences and plans properly, surely our mistakes will be reduced.
And likewise, our evil
actions, are
capable of being changed, if we regret and replace them with the good ones.
The Holy Qur'an states that:
"Surely good deeds take away evil deeds."
Holy
Qur'an: (11:114)
That is, we should come with good works, so
as to replace the bad ones, as well as, eradicate its roots. Because doing good is the best way of uprooting evil.
11- We are responsible for
our selves and actions more than others are.
It may happen that others
may help us in a specific action, or participate with us in our calamities, but
in the end, everybody remains responsible for his own actions, and the
achievement of success in his different endeavors, in his studies, or in
choosing a suitable friend, or getting the respect of others, or success in his
work.
A proverb says: "Cut your own nails with your own hand".
12- To believe that success
depends on action and patience.
A proverb says: "Actions
speak louder than words".
Indeed, no matter how our
words become sweet, it will never produce anything unless we decorate it with
action. Is one's saying that I will pass my exams or I will get an excellent
result, enough for him to pass his exams? Or are not studying and hard work a
must in achieving this goal?
Indeed, success never comes
because of hope and sayings, rather it is through hard
work and patience.
13- To accept and be pleased
with the result of our work and endeavors, no matter how little they are, will
give us peace of
mind. We have spent our capability, and even if what we receive is little, we
should continue on our path depending on the Almighty Allah till we achieve our
goal and aims.
Indeed, such principles, make our look at the youth to be more positive
and successful in life.
How toUtilize the Blessings of Life?
Most youths, male and
female, ask them-selves, "Do I possess any wealth so as to be thinking of how
to develop it and make use of it in my day to day activities?"
It is possible that someone
may look at himself as poor, possessing nothing, because he can not achieve
what he wants like elder people. Indeed, such kind of wrong conception makes
many of the youths see the world dark, life as miserable and seek
unconstitutional ways of living.
Once a young girl of
eighteen years wrote to her diary, thus:
"I am not able to explain
anything I am about to lose my memory. Too much anxiety and thinking and I
lost my self-confidence. Whenever I start anything I will develop fear about
its outcome, thereby contemplating on whether I will be able to do it or not, I
am always unhappywhenever I look at my face in the mirror, I find it ugly,
thus, I hate myself to the extent that I wish I had never been born."
Another young boy also
wrote:
"Whenever I looked in the
mirror and saw a young fellow, I used to ask myselfcan I love this creature who resembles me completely, if by the grace of Allah he
came out from the mirror and lived with me?"
Sometimes, a young fellow
may blame his family,
especially his parents, on the condi-tion he find himself in;
just because nobody censured him more than them.
It was reported that, one
day a young girl of fifteen years of age together with her mother visited a
well-known doctor, who wrote many books on the childhood and adolescence
stages. When they entered, she requested to see him in private, and he agreed.
The young girl started
criticizing, as well as, blaming her parents that they were not giving her any
opportunity and that they ridiculed her.
Then, the wise doctor went
to her mother to hear her opinion concerning her daughters,
he told him an opposite statement. Later the doctor conducted an inquiry into
the matter, and found out that the girl feared failure and the unconcern shown
to her by her fellow mate, and it was hard for her to blame herself for it.
Thus, she thinks that the only solution to the matter is to attack her parents
whenever the parents denied her wishes.
Indeed, we are in need of
our parent's care in particular and the elders guide in general, but we are not
small children that we will depend absolutely on them.
The family is the starting
point, as an explorer starts his journey from his starting point, or as a
mountaineer starts his journey from his starting point on the top of a
mountain.
The family is also a shelter
and resort. We turn to it whenever we are in need of it, especially at the time
of difficulties and tribulations.
Despite these realities and
importance of the family, we ought to prepare ourselves at this stage, i.e.,
the adolescent stage. So, we can take some part of our life responsibilities,
and became acquainted with them and be able to take the full responsibilities
of ourselves, or rather the whole family or our community in the future.
However, from the beginning,
we ought to ask, did life bestow on us wealth and capability, so as to utilize
it in our life? What power and abilities did the Almighty Allah bless us with,
so as to make it a capital in this life and utilize it so as to help ourselves
in our whole life? Thus, it is incumbent on us to count what we possess of
power and wealth.
First: Intellect (Aql):
This is the best and most
important treasure bestowed on us, and which differentiates us, as we human
beings, from other creatures. This is the container which contains knowledge,
thought and experience. It is the guide, which guides and shows us the right
path. It is the intellect that differentiates truth from false, and good from
bad, and it is the supervisor of all our undertakings so as to protect us from
going astray.
But, can the intellect
become a treasure for someone who abandoned it, not knowing its value?
Wise people state that, the
intellect is an assistant and adviser; because the advices and guidance of an
assistant works or benefits when a ruler or administrator acts upon the
advices. But, can we act with its advices and guidance in our personal affairs?
This is where the problem starts.
Secondly: Will (Iradah):
Sometimes we call it
choicewe are all free to choose whether to do a certain action or not. It is
this will that made man more free to choose what he wants than other creatures,
or to live what he is in need of, like sleeping, resting, eating and drinking,
for a goal more valuable than it.
Most noble men decrease
their resting and sleeping time, thereby turning their time to studying and
scientific researches, thus, they were able to gain what they gained and their
names became famous.
The believers refrain from
eating and drinking in the month of Ramadhan, so as to worship their
Lord, learn patience and feel equal to the poor people. However, if patience
becomes their habit, then it is easy for them to endure other difficulties in
life.
Indeed, will, patience and
endurance, are the ways of achieving success in all man's activities and
endeavors.
Thirdly: Sentiments and Feelings:
It is agreed upon that the
sentiment of the youth is more stronger, especially in
young girls because they are mothers of tomorrow. And we can witness this in
their inclination toward crying or their too much love for their friends and
teachers.
This sentiment is regarded
as a treasure for man, he uses it to interact with other things in his
surroundings, thus, he loves and hates, he pleases and becomes angry, he hopes for something or repels something.
And sentiments also connect
man with others, it increases his life between his
friends and relatives, as well as, protects him against calamities.
And likewise feelings, that
develop in an adolescent
Therefore, sentiments and
feelings are an important treasure if man can utilize it properly in his life.
Fourth: Imagination:
It is not as others portray
it which drags youths away from reality, or make him swim in the other world, at last it condenses his ability and power. No doubt,
imagination is something good and beneficial which deserves care, and it has a
great role in man's life.
It may be possible that a
man may run with his imagination from a bitter reality, but man always turns
toward imagination and nightmare, thereby creating hope in his imaginations,
because he wanted to
be an idealist, as well as, become fruitful without defect. His feelings are
like the feelings of discoverer or a traveler who imagines a land in his
imagination, even before he moves toward its discovery.
This type of imagination is
beneficial to this discoverer or traveler because it has connection with the
world of reality.
Imagination is a real
treasure for us if we are able to connect it with our life through different
channels, we should not allow imagination to overcome reality. Thereby leaving us in the field of swimming between hopes and
desire. And likewise, we should not allow reality to overpower our
imagination, so as to prevent our ambition and aspiration from being
imprisoned. We should leave hope and desire for imagination and put reality as
a source which will take us toward those hopes and desires.
treasure which can never be
bought with money:
It was reported in a prophetic hadith that
five things must be utilized before the occurre-nce of another five things:
youth before old age, free time before it becomes occupied, strength before
weakness, good health before sickness.
It is sufficient to think a
little on the importance of this treasure. What can we do if we lost it unexpectedly.
Most sick people wish that
they will regain their health, so as to continue their natural day to day
activities.
Indeed, sound health is a
treasure which is incumbent upon us to protect and feed it with pure and good
food, as well as good training and bodily exercises. We must also give much
importance to the other side of health, i.e., to purify ourselves from bad
morals, as we must keep our physical being clean.
With all these treasures and
others, can I, as a young fellow, regard myself poor and deprived? Most
especially these treasures were not confined only to these blessings with I
shared with others. It is possible that each and every one of us may have his
own blessing which is confined only to him alone. Thus, it is incumbent upon
him to use it accordingly for the purpose of developing himself and his
community, the way a bussiness man utilizes his capital, so as to gain profits
and add it to the capital.
Instead of all these, there
are other abilities which we can add to our life, thereby enriching us with
changes and make us capable of producing an important work which may direct us
toward our goals. These kinds of capabilities may provide new changes in our
life, especially at the age of adolescence, which we can never imagine its occurrence in our life. It includes:
Origination: Man acquires suitability, power and preparation
through good concent-ration of his intellectual power, will, imagina-tion,
experience, and knowledge.
Origination is regarded as a
secret of success in life, and its possessor can be able to discover new ways
of changing his surroundings and escaping from undesired ways.
If we want to study this
kind of suitability in our life, we must put different devices in front of
ourselves, which we can follow the process of origination with. These are:
-
Strengthening imagination and feelings.
-
Directing feelings towards the good goals.
-
Developing thought, culture and knowledge.
-
Making life easy and not too much engaged in its
afflictions and distress.
-
Discovering systems and order in things which at
first glance we may think that they are not in order.
-
To present new inventions one after another every
day.
-
To love others, and
ourselves on the condition that our strong love should be much more toward the
Creator.
-
To accompany creative friends.
-
To read and be acquainted with books, or stories and
or poems that may pull us toward thinking and invention, and not towards blind imitations.
Faith and Belief: We can acquire power and
capability through authentic belief in the Creator of the world and its Administrator. And, likewise, through witnessing His
beauty and perfection in all creatures, and feeling His blessings which expand
to all things. And also through His worship, which bestows on the self
essential, spiritual power that can make man more powerful and stable at times of
difficulties.
Indeed, faith or belief is a
treasure which a young fellow will gain more easily than others, because his
tender self opens itself to different life horizons, whether material or spiritual.
Higher Determination: Indeed, huge amounts of
wealth and power stimulate and push man toward his goal, as well as, taking
despair and hopelessness out of him.
A prophetic hadith states that
man flies with determination, as the way a bird flies with its wings. Man is in
need of higher determina-tion in his way toward guidance and growth; the way
which will underline his goals in life.
We can only achieve this
great treasure through these principles:
-
We should bear in mind that we are human beings and
we are capable of achieving perfection the way we want.
- We should tie
our wagon to the stars, as the saying goes: No matter what we arrange for our
greatness, we must strive hard to reach it.
- We should not
engage ourselves with unnecessary things.
- We should
behave well toward others, personal benefits should
not become our goal.
- We should be
inventors in any field, even in choosing our goals and the ways of achieving
them.
- We should give
more importance to hidden beauty, the way we give to physical beauty.
- We should
select friends having higher determination.
What we had mentioned in this chapter is
among the most important blessing which we, the youths, possess, or we are able to possess
through our individual or collective powers and capabilities. You ought to bear
in mind that life and its Creator are capable of bestowing on us with other
blessings, if we continue the process of discovery and research. Allah says:
"And if you count Allah's favours, you will not be
able to number them."
Holy Qur'an (14: 34)
Evils?
Man possesses goals and messages, but what is
his message in this world?
Man was created in order to
seek good, happiness and perfection in life, and to shun evil and what calls
him toward evil. Thus, life, is comprised of good and
evil. It is up to man to choose what comprises good
and shun what is evil.
Do you think if an unknown
person offers food or sweets to us, we can eat it directly, or will we wait a
little till we are sure it is not polluted with any harmful substance?
Indeed, we choose
cleanliness and purity in every thing, so as to protect ourselves from any
harmful thing. Therefore, we ought to follow the same principle concerning bad
morals and evil, selfish interests which pollute our morals.
And when man is inflicted
with any disease, he rushes quickly to the hospital for treatment, but
unfortunately, sometimes he will be inflicted with spiritual disease and will
not take himself to a doctor,
because he is not feeling it physically.
All human beings possess
spiritual and intellectual tools, in addition to bodily tools, but the most
dangerous evil of life is the one that destroys our spiritual tools or our
moral program.
The moral program
establishes the essence of man and his spirit, thus, if man loses this program
nothing is left for him except the shell which can never benefit him in this
world except living like plants and animals.
It is good qualities which
feed man's heart and spirit with things that will make him happy and perfect,
as well as, a source of goodness for himself and his community. There is
another reality, and that is that man, in this life, falls between the pole or axis of good and evil, whenever he comes closer to the
pole of goodness, he distances himself, with the same proportion from evil.
For example, if one of us is
sacrificial to his friend, and that friend happens to be in a problem,
naturally we will never abandon him, rather we will
come to his aid. No doubt, this is our nature of loving friends and our
surroundings.
The same way, if we are
obedient to our parentsthis shows that we don't want to offend them, due to
their love and care toward us. And above all these, is our love toward the
source of all good, i.e., the Almighty Allah.
Some people portray to us
that good means refraining from all worldly pleasures and enjoyments, but the
reality is that good is the utilization of all the blessings and power bestowed
on us. It is the use of all the worldly pleasures in a good and suitable
manner. Indeed, Who created these pleasures and
beautifies it with this beauty, wants us to make use of it. He only wants us to
use it in the best way.
Therefore, evil is to use
these blessings in a bad manner, forgetting the purpose of their creation. But
the question here is that, why is it that sometimes we tend to choose evil, or
we give it a way to penetrate into our youthful community?!
It is not proper to answer
this question without asking another question, so as to make it clear.
First of all, are we ready
to belittle our being and ourselves? If we are, then it is easy for evil to
penetrate us.
Nobody will believe that a
leader or a king or a renowned film actor will lean down to take something
valueless from the ground. It is possible that the thing is precious to others,
but the position of king or an actor may prevent him from inclining toward it,
because it doesn't comply with his position to do so. Therefore, it doesn't
correspond with our position as human beings to open ourselves to bad morals,
or jealousy and or oppressing others, or telling lies, stealing and other evil
acts.
Are we among those that underrate our enemies?
We are not expected to do that with our
enemies, the enemies of our body, like microbes and viruses. Can we do the same
with other microbes and viruses, i.e., the morals viruses?
There is a nice story reported from the
companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) when they were together with him in a
barren land, and the weather was cold. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) asked them
gather some pieces of firewood to make a fire with so as to warm themselves?
They all said: "There is no plant or tree in
this dry soil, where we can get firewood."
Then, he (s.a.w.) said: "Everyone should bring what he is capable of
gathering."
They all went away in search
of the little they could find of dried plants, then
they came with them to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). They were able to gather a
huge amount of fire-wood.
Then, the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.) said to them: "This is how
small evil actions are gathered, the way this firewood is gathered. Then, he said, "I warn you against degrading yourselves with small
evil actions."
Are we among those who are only looking at what is
directly in front of themselves, ignoring its outcome?
It is possible for a horse that is tied to a
grinder or mill, as it was the practice in the olden days or in some parts of
the world today, to be pleased with his work, whereby he moves thousands of
miles in one place. Perhaps he will be happy, because he is just looking at his
feet, but those who are looking at him from a distant place or outside the
grinder will pity his condition.
Are we among those who confine their endeavors between
themselves only?
If this is the case, then, we are like the
frog which lives in a well and thinks that the world is only the edges of that
well.
Are we among those that move on their way without
taking the time to look at the self?
This is the case of a traveler that chooses
to move on the wrong path without taking care to look at the signs by the side
of the road, and without asking anybody. No doubt he will never arrive at his
destination when he continues this way, even if he increases his speed.
Are we among those that suspend doing good actions for
another time?
For example, we might say there is enough
time to do such and such a good action, that it is too early for a
responsibility to fall on us and other sayings like these.
This means we want to leave
the valve of evil open, without opening the valve of good-ness. Then, in no
time we will find that our account is full of evil acts. This is because we
have ignored the valve of goodness, without giving it the chance of filling our
hearts and making our lives better.
Are we befriending bad and evil people?
Are we ready to establish a personal friend-ship with
them?
Thus, we will strengthen the pole of evil in
our selves, thereby falling into the field of gravity and attraction. Because
coming closer to the pole of evil and accepting it, will no doubt take us away
from the pole of good.
Are we utilizing our intellect and morals program so
as to continue?
If we allow the viruses of
evil to enter into our programs, then are we looking at a secret way of
removing them, the same way we purge viruses from our personal computers at home
and at other places?
There are many questions on
the same topic, so as to know the ways evil enters our life. For example, we
may ask, are we among those that give more importance to physical beauty and
clothes? Or rather do we give more importance to spiritual beauty and morals,
as well as, the beauty of intellect and thought?
And also, can we differentiate between good and evil?
It is possible that we cannot discover evil simply, rather it will come to us as an attractive feature,
containing poison and honey at the same time.
It will become more
dangerous when it clothes itself with the cloth of good.
However, the best way of
knowing evil, or the reality of the actions, which we call them evil and bad
morals, is that we should think over its end and outcome. Some of these
outcomes include deviation, spiritual contempt, drug addiction, crime,
imprison-ment, etc.
And good is to accompany
good features into our life, as well as, the life of others. And this means
that we should enjoy the blessing of life, its beauty and enjoyments with peace
of mind and perfection. No doubt we can never get these from evil acts, rather
it will portray that he is able to provide us with it, but in the real sense,
it is the opposite.
Is it good for someone to
give much importance to himself without taking care and giving much importance
to others? And is it good for someone to play with food while others are dying
from hunger?
All these kinds of questions
may stimulate us to think over the kind of life we are suppose to choose, so as
not to repeat the same mistakes others comitted in their life, and, also, to
benefit from the chances at our disposal in order to achieve our goals.
Last Word
At
the end of this booklet "Towards The Youth" we call on out
honorable and dear readers of "Youth
Forum", to register their opinions and suggestions
concerning this booklet.
We are happy to receive such suggestions, as
well as, any opinion and views which will help the youth in their day to day
life.
