Voluntary Degeneracy of the American Youth’s Soul
Right now, I’m sitting in a grassy field - a park, in Edinburgh, Scotland. People all around me in this vast green. Of all ages, but mainly youth. People around my age. In my short time in Scotland, I believe I am beginning to understand why America is so divided. America is divided because the youth are divided.
It seems generally that the youth in Scotland do not judge. They accept people with open arms. They are sure of themselves, individually, and as a whole. The youth is a community, as it should be. I couldn’t say the same about the youth in America.
More people speak the language of the world in Europe than in the United States. Not unbothered, but unfazed by political, economic, and societal standards. They know the power their community holds and are confident in it. The youth cares of love and not much else. Through this love, all other avenues are found. I see it when they talk with each other. On the train, in the parks, in the streets, in cafes, and in pubs. They are as genuinely interested in each new person and experience as they are in their close friends and daily activities or responsibilities.
Many lack specific knowledge of their future, but with clear eyes, they pursue it with more love than any people group I have seen in a long time, especially in America.
This is the problem with the United States. The youth does not love enough to have a clear vision of each other. Typically, I feel that many of us want the same thing. Fair treatment of people. However, the American youth is distracted, distracted by what we see online. Such as when a certain public figure agrees with a certain opinion, and if your friend is a fan of this public figure. If we disagree with this public figure’s statement and our friend does not, we let it divert our attention from discussion and jump immediately into judgment and harsh Instagram comments. This is just a silly example, but it represents a larger issue. I’m not sure if this is due to the doom-scrolling, fast-paced environment of America or something else, but this type of behavior is destructive. Not only to our communities, but to ourselves. I’m not entirely sure if liberating the collective mind of American youth is possible. The government and large corporations prey on the young to secure their future power, and I fear they have succeeded.
These were my initial thoughts on the subject as I sat in that splendid park just a few days ago. Now, I write on a train heading to London.
The American youth is selfish, distracted, and judgmental. We lack the ability to converse with one another, to sit down face-to-face and discuss why we feel certain ways. I believe much of this issue is based in social media use. Almost anyone you know uses it every day. I often hear friends and peers talk about their excessive phone use and how they really need to cut back. Yet, I’ve been hearing the same words for years. Where is the change? If we are so aware of the problem, why not fix it? Phone and social media addiction is much more serious an issue than we make it out to be. It’s mentioned in casual conversations as if it is a normal thing for all of us to be unable to go without these devices. If you asked a random American to give up Instagram for a month, I bet they’d call you crazy.
I believe the root of the problem is a lack of spirit. Lack of realization that there is more to this world than our physical selves. I would not consider the problem to be based in materialism. More so, as a whole, we are ignorant of our spiritual selves. The more natural and slower-paced environment in Europe builds up the people’s spirits and enriches their souls. You can see it in them. We experience this daily, yet tend to avoid conscious thought and consideration of it. Everything is spiritual. Everything affects our souls. In modern America, particularly among youth, we partake in the opposite of soul-enriching activity. Instead of reading, writing, painting, exploring, conversing, debating, etc., we find ourselves locked behind a screen. Being worried about catching up on all the tweets and posts of the day, so we can stay “connected,” is a daily event. In reality, all phones do is disconnect us further. We get food delivered to our homes that is poisoning us, fry our neural receptors with short-form, shallow content and pornography, and consult an A.I. bot instead of going to a library or reaching out to a professional. We are killing our very own souls in the name of comfort, quickness, and convenience. As I’ve grown more and more frustrated by this every day, I sought out a way to feel better. A way to truly connect. I was not sure what I was seeking connection with, maybe God, maybe people, or just the real world around me. I was tired of this facade of connection and online “community”. I knew that whatever I was doing currently was only making me feel worse, and I needed a change.
Recently, I have developed a connection with nature that I previously never considered possible. I have always appreciated the beauty of our world. Yet, that is where it ended. However, this only scratches the surface. God, the universe, however you choose to name it, is constantly seeking to enrich our souls and teach us how to live. But it is a two-way street.
Go sit outside with the intention of listening to what the world has to say to you. It may seem far-fetched, but the world communicates with us. Hopefully, you’ll see some ants or other insects. Notice how they move, react, and communicate with each other and everything around them. Think about how it makes you feel. How it stimulates your senses. Now look up at the sky and do the same. Go lie in the grass and feel it caress your skin. Does it talk to you? Obviously not with words, but can you feel a conversation between nature and yourself? Does it make you think of anything? Now feel yourself. Feel the unexplainable experience of being. Feel the earth’s natural, overpowering love. You can feel it at the root of your being. I do. This is our soul. Our soul is our life force and connection to God, nature, people, and ourselves. How the ants work together, the way trees deepen their roots, and the moon’s effect on tidal patterns are all the same. This is the language of the world,d and that language is called love. As a whole, we have lost the ability to speak this language. Love is natural and all around us. You just have to look. We are a part of this language of love; however, the further and further we stray from our natural state of being, the more we lose this sense of naturality and care for all things. Why have we become so distracted? Is everything that is harmful to our souls really that attractive? I don’t believe it is. It is easy to fall into a habitual pattern of these harmful practices. Especially considering everyone around us does the same. So, how do we save our souls? How do we return to a better, more natural state? Only through the youth do I find it to be a possibility.
A revolution is necessary. Not a violent overthrow of government or corporations. A revolution of the mind, body, spirit, and soul. The sooner the collective American youth can realize the harmful effects of our current day-to-day lives, the faster change can occur. The youth has the power to not only change their communities around them, but also the nation and the world. First, each one of us must change ourselves. We must change how we think about the world. We must change our priorities from Instagram likes and getting enough TikTok time in for the day to building ourselves up. Finding what we are truly passionate about and pursuing it with all we have. However, as a whole, the American youth is not the community it needs to be to spark this revolution. I wouldn’t consider the American youth to be a community at all. We are divided. Divided by generations before us, telling us how to think, how to act. We are divided by our daily routines of fake connection and constant dopamine release. We are conditioned to fall into place in society, to lack creativity, free thinking, and the ability to make our voices heard. Before a spiritual revolution can occur, we, as a whole, must find our true voice again. Our natural voice. This is where a connection to nature comes into play. Connection to the world around us raises our eyes away from our screens, towards real things, and therefore to each other. This is what will build the community of youth in America. To do this, we must stop submitting to the voluntary degeneration of our souls. We must take a stand. A stand against ourselves and the habits we indulge in every single day. It is possible because we are powerful. We are all powerful. We are all creative. We all have a voice. We must learn to love each other and the world again.
.