It is truly exciting to think of all the things that our future will be. We have achieved so many things that we may have never even dared to imagine in the past. The world we live in is the collective dream of millions of people all across the world that has been brought to fruition through immense efforts and struggles. We experience it in the rights we enjoy, the knowledge we have at our very fingertips, and the technology that holds everything together. All of these things remind us every day of the magnificence of mankind, and of the possibilities that we are capable of creating.
This modern era is the gateway to a great and beautiful change – the change of letting young people be a part of making their own future. Now, more than ever, young people have platforms to voice their opinions and influence action, and, most importantly, the information needed to form opinions in the first place.
For so long, youth has been the period of a person’s life whereby they are still developing. It has always been considered the time where a person is learning about the way life progresses and figuring out who they want to be in the future – a time when people are partial or incomplete. However, this has changed. Today, young people have been given the power to use their growing process to not only perfect themselves, but also the place around them. Now, growth is not limited to one’s character and intelligence, but also extends to the quality of the world in which we live.
As we recognise this change and marvel at the beauty of this new power, we must also remember the new responsibility that arises. Now that we have been given the ability to speak, we need to use our voices to create not only a more comfortable future, but also a fair one. Now that we can finally ask for what we want our future to be and help in shaping it as well, how can we take full advantage of the opportunities that we have received?
Recently, I discovered that when a small crustacean species called the hermit crab grows, it drops out of the shell it is currently occupying and moves to live in a bigger shell. I also learned that this process may be done in groups, whereby a few crabs line up together and swap shells with each other to suit their new size. This process may occur every twelve to eighteen months, and is truly exciting to observe. The hermit crabs are small and simple creatures, yet they have discovered and perfected a habit of carrying out a natural process in a mutually beneficial manner for several crabs at a time.
As we grow, we must also find a way to include all the members of our community in our process of development. The best way to do this is to spend time outside of our natural environments, learning how different kinds of people live, and understanding the types of struggles that people go through. It is easy to fight and solve problems that we may face in our own lives because we are likely to be the main recipients of the benefits of any change that may occur. However, our future must be constructed in such a manner that everyone is involved in advocating for all people. This is how we, as young people, can create a fair and better future.
Each generation has contributed something important to the formation of our world. Our generation has been given a headstart to make its contribution, and we must use our chance to do something great – to make our future an ideal place for everyone, to build a home where even the voiceless can be a catalyst to change.
