Anna, the 21-year-old daughter of the friends I stayed with in Victoria is a lovely, intense young woman with a quick sense of humour. She is passionate about eating well, goes faithfully to the gym, cares deeply about the state of the planet. She is also dubious to the point of being pessimistic about the possibilities for her life given our general disregard for sound environmental practices. She is disheartened by governments which seem willing to squander her future for political power in the present.
Because Green Party leader Elizabeth May is her MP and was an evening speaker at the Epiphany Explorations conference I offered to buy Anna a ticket to attend. She showed up at the last possible moment but was immediately engaged with May's empassioned presentation which included reflections on her own Christian faith. My young friend clapped enthusiastically at various times, then leapt to her feet at the end to lead the rest of us geezers in an ovation. I asked if she wanted to stay for the Q&A and she looked at me as though I was crazy. She wasn't going anywhere!
On the bus ride home Anna admitted she need the shot of hope which May provided. She talked about wanting to live out her faith in practical ways. I encouraged her to contact Elizabeth's office and ask about volunteering in some capacity. She thought she might.
I was struck that this vivacious young woman would need encouragement. She seems to have so much going for her. It was a reminder that thoughtful young adults struggle to find hope with so many dark clouds on the horizon.
What can we do to en-courage our young people? How do we nurture their hope and their faith?
In reading this, I'm reminded of that John Mayer song, "Waiting on the World to Change." One lyric reads "it's hard to change the system when you're standing at a distance." I'm not a huge Mayer fan, but I think he summed it up pretty well for the 30-&-under crowd.
ReplyDeleteThat sense of hopelessness when it comes to government inaction has unfortunately led to a sense of "I can't do anything" in many young people. What they don't realize is that their generation is next of line to inherit the state, and most likely, the environment will likely be THE issue they'll be dealing with.
With this in mind, there really isn't a better time to get involved.
I delighted in Anna's enthusiasm - I was on my feet as well - we need a fresh face and new ideas to spark the interest of young people in politics. E May spoke often of her determination to work across party lines with other MP's - guess she really has no choice as the lone Green - but her intent to cooperate was genuine. Smart lady who lives out her faith. I hope Anna can make a connection in her constit office.
ReplyDelete