The youth of today is not like the youth of 1976 in terms of radicalization. Most of them had nothing to lose,hope had been lost but passion for freedom burned within them. They were very radical.
The youth of this day have more to lose. The older generation is fading away rapidly, we are the new generation. We are on our own and the modus operandi has to change. Our radicalism is leading to demise. We live in a society where morality is hypocrisy, theory takes precedence over practice. Lamenting has become an anthem bouncing on all spheres.
We need to deradicalise this unsustainable ideology. The youth of this day have influence and potential but they are on a cul de sac, they are being utilized for the wrong reasons. We need a surge to uproot this modern radicalization or else the potential will lose substance due to being prematurely overused. This root is independent of racism, poverty and inequality. It is dependent on our oppressed mentality, we have allowed ourselves to be captured by our own inner-man. We've degraded our standing and we are like empty vessels which cause a hullabaloo with no action, we've murdered our passion for greatness.
Society says we are leaders of tomorrow but we are leaders of today, of our own generation. The issue is our twisted standing. Before civil society jumps to our aid, the ultimate panacea lies within ourselves. We have to understand our innate desire and that the world is dependent on us, we are either building or destroying our own lives by what we do, we are not spiting our parents by our actions. Civil society will give us a platform when we become visionary. Until we realise that we are the ultimate panacea we will never be a successful generation. It is therefore imperative on ourselves to deradicalise our mentality. We are destined for greatness.
Happy Youth Month to you all.
Photo: South African Student Activists during a #FeesMustFall Rally. Image by Tony Carr