Youth Activism

Obviously the largest reason I'm choosing to bring this topic up is all of the commotion surrounding a certain Swedish activist, but she has been far from the only example of youth activism in the world lately. Whenever someone who is particularly young elects to step into the spotlight in order to bring attention to an important issue, many people are filled with hope and inspiration, but my initial reaction is unease. I say this because I can never entirely shake the feeling that they may not be fully aware of what they are signing up for. While I don't usually doubt their courage or authenticity, I do fear for them. In this world, there are some truly despicable people who are absolutely not above taking shots at children and in fact many of them relish the idea of being able to snuff out anyone they see as a vulnerable representation of anything that they dislike. While the manner in which the parkland students, particularly David Hogg, were able to handle adults who came at them was impressive to me and put many of my worries to rest, it needs to be recognized that this wont necessarily always be how things play out. Whenever anyone puts themselves into the public eye, particularly in the case of activism, while they are sure to find much support, they will also inevitably gain many detractors who are licking their chops waiting for even the tiniest opportunity to find a slip up and bring their perceived enemy down. It is truly disheartening to know that there are people like that out there, but that is the unfortunate reality that we have. I'm not saying that I think youth activists are unaware of the risk that they are putting themselves in, I'm just saying that I can never be fully convinced that they are aware of the MAGNITUTE of that risk. Nonetheless, it truly is admirable to see younger individuals step up to the plate in order to take steps towards righting the wrongs of those that came before them. I think that when the world sees I child or someone else who is quite young take such an initiative, there are mixed reactions. While many are sure to shower them with praise, many others too are sure to scoff at the idea of someone so young undertaking all this, claiming they are showing nothing but naivety and youthful ignorance. Others would say that they might not even care about what they are proclaiming, and are actually just pursuing fame and celebrity status from the issue, which I will outright say is despicable if it is actually the case. However I will always try my best to never jump to conclusions on this subject, or any matter, especially any of such grave importance. I fully understand the desire in some young people to step up. In their eyes, the adults have failed. A handful have started the fire, and while others should be putting it out, instead they are standing around bickering about how they should go about doing so as the house burns to the ground. It seems pathetically ineffective and the desire for another solution is obvious. While I encourage youth activism, I also encourage caution to any and all choosing to partake. I encourage them to speak their truth, but to be as mindful of the manner in which they do so as they can possibly be, because there are hoards of sick people out there that are just itching for the opportunity to get their claws on anything they can use to bring the whole cause down. The passion of the younger generations, which I consider to be my own and everyone that has come after, is something I see as being a crucial piece of the puzzle that is the problems of the world, but that doesn't mean that every single one of those that have come before are useless. Yes many of them are responsible for the problems, but many others wish to be part of the solution and have a perspective that is another important piece of the puzzle. They know what has failed in the past, and their warnings should be headed. I don't believe that any one generation or demographic will solve the worlds problems, whether they be climate change, political unrest, wealth inequality, war, disease or what have you, but I do believe that it is up to the younger ones to take the helm at this point.