by David Child

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

Are the youth of today a lost generation? I don't think we can classify a whole generation as lost because each person and circumstance is different. They may look lost to us because of what they wear and say, or because, on first acquaintance, they are not our type and don't look groovy.

To know which or members of a generation are lost, we have to get to know them. This should be decided on a case-by-case basis. I know someone who has been classified as a paranoid schizophrenic. He must take his prescribed medicine so he doesn't have delusions and severe depression. He certainly could be considered to be lost. Before he "flipped out", he was considered to be one of the greatest spiritual men of his generation, but now he is lost, and his "absence" has deprived us of great, great things. When he is on his meds, he even has a great peace about him. Compared to what he was (suicidal and violent), he has been found, but he is still wandering, and often seems to like it.

I know someone else who was depressed and confused for 30 years. He, without a doubt, was lost. He achieved a measure of joy, peace and awareness in his later years, and because of this, to a degree, he was found. He found himself. He gained more light and freedom, but he still professes that he needs much more time to finally be free from old mental habits.

My father was a great man. He knew and experienced a lot in his 83 years. Because he didn't want to experience any more of the grief and pain of old age, he took his own life with the assistance of the Hemlock Society. He put a bag over his head and quickly faded away. Was my dad lost? Is he lost now? There is a world in which he lives, now, that we know nothing about. We cannot judge this.

All of us our lost to a degree, and all of us are found to a degree. We are lost to the extent that are not willing to try. We are also lost if we try, but can't seem to get anywhere, but there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is life and light, and the one taking this journey is well thought of by someone else hoping for his success. If someone is lost, I hope they become found. I hope they find themselves.

The youth of today are on a journey of hope and on a trek to escape from the darkness of their wanderings. They often do not realize the great powers they have and may think they are lost when they really aren't. An adult looking down at a vibrant youth may say:

I see that you are strong and handsome. People will surely be attracted to you. Your

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