by Julie Michael

Created on: September 06, 2008   Last Updated: December 02, 2008

Young people are definitely less courageous than three decades ago- they're less courageous than TWO decades ago. Why is this? I'm personally of the opinion that young people have gotten spoiled, and take for granted everything that they have or are given.

Three decades ago, there wasn't near as much blatant disrespect of elders, peers or other people in general. Three decades ago, young people were taught that to get anything or get anywhere in life, they'd have to work for it and earn it.

If young people aren't being taught the basics of respecting others- whether it be elders, peers, or people in general- and they aren't being taught to work to reap the benefits of hard work, then where are they to learn courage? If they aren't being taught "the basics" and being given tools to use in life, how are they to even know what courage is? Let alone, BE courageous?

Courage isn't found in risking your life for silly or stupid reasons, courage isn't even about risking your life at all. Courage is about being able to face any kind of adversity and be able to make decisions and come out none the worse for the wear.

Courage is being able to learn from hard times, and take those lessons with you through life. Courageousness isn't found in expecting someone else to "fix" your problems for you or do things FOR you, courageousness is being able to find ways to fix your problems yourself, and not being afraid to do so.

Too many young people now, rely on parents, siblings, elder relatives, and others to get them through life. Too often they run back to their parents or others when they get in a "bind", and expect someone to fix it FOR them.

Our young people now don't have a clue about basic problem-solving, or about making it through hard times and learning lessons from them. Our young people now expect the world to be handed to them on a silver platter- and if that platter is tarnished, they expect someone else to "polish" it for them.

If we are to help our young people to become more courageous, like the young people of three decades ago- we've got to stop "coddling" them, stop doing everything FOR them, and teach them the skills necessary to make the basic decisions of life on their own.

The ability to be self-sufficient is the way to teach them how to be courageous. There is courage in being able and willing to face the world on your own and not expect anyone to do things for you.

Once these basic principles are once again instilled in our young people, I think we'll find that the young people of our generation will be more courageous, and be more like the young people of three decades ago. Let's teach our young people the lessons that were being taught three decades ago.
It's time to go back to older values and ideas, to bring courage back into our young people and our society.

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