I recently attended a youth worker conference focusing on the issue of passion. The speaker talked about passion in teenagers, and how adults can help them find it.
I was very excited after the conference. I've spent much of my life following my dreams and passions, finding a deep joy in life. Growing up, it was difficult for me to understand why so many of my peers were chasing so many broken roads and dead ends. Whether it be movies, music, parties, drugs, alcohol, smoking, vandalism or sexual relations, they would pursue and lose themselves in things that brought temporary excitement and pleasure.
These are what I call false passions, or infatuations. In high school I searched a few of these to see what was so intriguing to my peers. I asked myself, what is it about these things that brings them life? They seemed so happy, had lots of friends, and really seemed to enjoy life. This is what it looked like from the outside.
As I attempted to seek out how these activities and materials brought so much freedom and happiness, I found myself becoming trapped in this world of false happiness. In an attempt to find joy, love and passion in my own life, I opened up to these lusts. They satisfied for a short time, but even then, they left me feeling empty-yearning for more.
I began to realize that the more I engaged in them, the emptier I felt. It seemed an endless cycle, and it scared me. I chose to climb out of it and look for the real passion I had been seeking all along. As I left the circle of lusts, I watched helplessly as my peers continued to empty themselves in search of meaning and purpose in their lives. I watched them fill the void with alcohol and drugs, with trashy music and movies, with sexual relationships. They were searching for something deeper, but how could I explain this to them when I myself was still searching for passion.
The youth of today are no different than I was at their age. I watch from outside their world, seeing their yearning hearts in search of purpose and meaning. Oftentimes if you ask a teen, "What do you really like? What is something you really enjoy doing?" they will reply, "I don't know."
There are a few young people out there that truly do have something positive they are passionate about, such as sports, music, drama, art, writing, helping people, etc. They are, however, in the minority. Most kids and teens I talk to haven't the slightest clue what drives them to get up in the morning.
"School," they might say. School is so important, learning and preparing for the future; but these days it can be boring, and may not truly meet a young person's needs. Learning isn't as fun as it should be; it doesn't entice and spark curiosity and creativity. It seems instead to involve a lot of working from formulas to mold our kids a certain way.
Youth are involved in so many extra-curricular activities as well, being bused from baseball to piano to painting. While it's great to have opportunities to try new things, it can lead to burnout.
It's too common to find teenagers spending long hours on the computer, playing games, instant messaging or spending time on sites such as Myspace. They may fritter away hours playing video games, shopping or just hanging out somewhere other than home. Also, for many, experimenting in deviant activities has become more commonplace.
There is a general theme here: youth are bored and passionless. They often live in a gray world, just hoping that someday something or someone will bring color to their lives. They are endlessly searching, whether they know it or not, for a purpose to live. They want to mean something to the world, to make a difference in a way that only they can. They are searching for passion.
Ashley Marshall works as a teen mentor at the Magnolia Community Center. She can be reached at mageditor@nwlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]
