“Drugs is the reason for the moral decay of today’s young.”
This was a line from a movie I watched the other weekend. The character who delivered this dialogue made very good sense. In fact, he made perfect sense! For me it was an epiphany.
This was a line from a movie I watched the other weekend. The character who delivered this dialogue made very good sense. In fact, he made perfect sense! For me it was an epiphany.
You see, I interact with very young people on a daily basis and couldn’t fathom the lack of consideration, even respect, that accompanies their behavior. I can’t help but be a witness to their me-mine-moi mentality. Being offered a seat in a packed bus by a young one is a rarity. Every time I get on my bus in the morning I have learned to train my eyes to zero in on a seat that’s not populated by middle school students’ books, backpack… even a pair of feet of a snugly napping body. Once a fellow passenger complained in exasperation: “These people ought to be paying double fare!”
Often times, it’s obvious that the students don’t even like to share their space judging from the way their bodies monopolize the two-passenger seat. If this is their attitude so early in their lifetime, can we expect them to get any better when they get older? Their lack of good manners can only mean two things: (1) their parents or whoever raised them never showed them the importance of discipline and respect; or (2) their brains are too fried to even care. Fried, as in, damaged by substance abuse.
The reality is that today’s young people are dangerously experimenting with drugs, unmindful of the serious harm that such reckless habit can do to them. No wonder their actions are lethargic, their fuses short and their tempers fly at the least provocation. I have shared train commutes and bus rides with young kids who unabashedly roll weeds and talk about their drug experiences. One time, a young girl behind me said “I need to get a buzz before I go home.”
Buzz… as in get intoxicated, either by alcohol or their drug of choice.
I don’t know what those kids get from their substance addiction … short-lived high?... short-term ecstacy? I’ll never understand because, lucky me, I’ve never had any vices unless you consider buying lottery tickets as some kind of addiction. I’ve sat on the train listening to young people discuss their drug dependence as though the habit was an accomplishment to brag about. Many of them have confessed to spending time in jail. I looked at those kids and felt sorry that the drugs have rubbed them of their youth. If they don’t kick the vicious habit, they will surely end up bankrupt (financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually), even dying before their time.
Media advertising depicting the regretful consequences of ecstacy, meth, heroin or cocaine use should be a red flag for the young ones… if they’re even home to watch such commercials. This is a time when I wish that people won’t procreate if they can’t be responsible parents to their children. I guess this is the sad price we pay for too much democracy. The U.S. government has no say in the number of children people should have nor at what age it’s appropriate to have them. Therefore, we end up with babies being born left and right from parents who are too emotionally handicapped or financially strapped to take care of their offsprings.
Today’s parents are too busy providing for their families’ financial needs so I wish that the school system would take it upon itself to effectively disseminate the evil effects of drug use and the disadvantages of unprotected sexual encounters. We must have a proactive stance on the negative consequences of population explosion. Our government agencies no longer have the resources to care for every citizen. Therefore everyone needs to learn to take care of themselves.
Teaching our kids to be accountable for their actions is the best way to start the process. Today’s young are spoiled by anything speedy and electronic. Everything is on fast forward mode. They don’t know the importance of patience and perseverance. In many cases, substance abuse has rubbed them of the worth of joyful moments because they don’t know the value of patience and hard work.
I’ve encountered many really lovely kids on my daily commute to work. They are obviously blessed with families who took pains in raising them so that they can enjoy a solid upbringing. Their chatters are joyful and hopeful for the future. Compared to the irresponsible drugheads, they are fortunate as they will go through life armed with the discipline and quality traits that will guide them to the road to success.
As for the other kids who chose the highs and lows of the sustance abuse path, I can only hope that sooner than later, they will wake up to realize that there is a bright future for the taking. If only they will grab it.
