If youth ruled the world

Not long ago, I had the chance to sit in on a group of middle school students (6th-8th grade) who were asked, "If you were the ruler of the world, what kind of rules would you have in place to lead your people?"  You can only imagine the range of silly and crazy answers that they wrote down, yet there was also no shortage of thoughtful and mature suggestions that were indicative of the younger generation's concern for our world. (These results are far from being scientific. They were implemented for fun only yet their answers are still very revealing)

The Sometimes Silly

• No homework
• No roaches, bugs, prunes
• Eat food and listen to music in all your classes (note: they didn't abolish school altogether; at worst they made it optional) and you could leave whenever you wanted to
• You can wear a hat and chew gum in class
• Justin Bieber hangs out with them everyday (yes, this was from a girl)
• Everything will be reduced in price 50%; some suggested everything should be free
• Sleep whenever they choose
• Get your driver's license at age 13
• Dessert is to be eaten first
• No one would gain weight (not sure how you would legislate this)
• Cats would have to scoop their own litter boxes
• All people must live in mansions with a pool, hot tub, and zoo in the backyard and they must have at least 5 cars

This is quite a list and illustrates the idealism with which part of our current younger generation views our world.  Notice that there is no outright rebellion against authority, but rather a desire for flexibility and wider limits. Now for the more serious list.

The Serious and Revealing

• No drama - Many put this on their lists, suggesting that they view not only the craziness in their own relationships with their friends but also what they see in the world
• No smoking, murder, stealing, drug use, hunger, or being all around stupid
• No government and/or a new government - They were not advocating anarchy but even at this age they were aware of what is going on in our country and they are concerned about it. And there we barely any shots taken at specific  politicians, such as the president. They expressed dissatisfaction across the board.
• Any terrorist threat would be nuked immediately and put out of the question
• No fighting; everyone is treated equal; no one thinking that they are better than everyone else
• No taxes

What does all of this tell us?  Are we in big trouble when this generation matures into the leaders that will one day lead us?  Maybe, but I'm more optimistic than that.  They are idealistic to be sure but they also aren't out of touch.  Besides, I'm all for dessert before the meal.

As we read these lists, all of us who are older (i.e., older than this current generation and in a position to lead younger people as mentors, teachers, coaches, and parents) should strive to envision multiple ways to help this generation process their dreams, goals, and ideals into ways that will help them grow and mature in such a way that they can lead us into the future.  It's not likely that everything one day will be free, drama will go away, or that taxes will disappear, but what we can do is take those ideas and see them for what they are: They care about the future and they want to make a difference.

So let's help them do just that.  Believe in this younger generation.  When discussing their dreams and the future with them, we must be realistic and honest with them: Hard work is necessary, failure will happen, people will disappoint you, you can't always have the things that you want, no one is going to do all the work for you.  But at the same time we need to help them to harness that energy and optimism into helping them reach their goals: If they really want to change the world, then let's help them find projects and causes to dive into that will allow them to make a difference today.  Get them involved in activities and charities that put others first.  Model for them that technology isn't the answer for everything and it is not substitute for real flesh and blood relationships, 

I would much rather be led in the future by this generation knowing that we have invested in them, modeled for them, and believed in them enough to help them succeed without doing all of the work for them.