|
Young people: tomorrow’s leaders :
International Youth Day
Ganga Illeperuma
In my childhood I thought youth is a golden period of our life
without any problem, no guidelines from parents and that we will have
enough money in our hands for whatever we want to do. But as I came to
be a youth I felt that it’s not an easy period like our childhood. It
has many responsibilities.
|
The better part of one’s life consists of friendship |
Young people that need the love, guidance, training, discipline and
security that those who are older are obligated to provide. Once given
those things it is up to them to walk accordingly. It is not enough to
simply tell the young, “Don’t, don’t, don’t.” There must be the
provision for the good that they can and should do.
The problems are too big for the inexperienced and untrained youth to
handle alone.
|
Good friends are hard to find, hard to lose and impossible
to forget |
We must remember that the young people are the leaders of tomorrow;
consequently, it is incumbent on the adults to set the pace (as it were)
for an uninterrupted transition.
Problems affecting young people
Perhaps the most fundamental problem faced by young people today is
unemployment. Young people today have certain needs and aspirations.
Consequently, the treat of unemployment means financial worries,
frustration and discouragement.
Another problem facing young people today is the tension which exist
between parents and children. It is usually common for strained
relationships to develop between parents and young people.
Teenage pregnancies and venereal disease are also common problems
facing the young person or teenager. This can severely disrupt her
education. Moreover, being pregnant at such an early age can also have
deleterious effects on one’s health. Perhaps what is most important is
the risk of “catching” the deadly disease AIDS. Many young persons today
have contacted AIDS and are suffering the consequences, being terminally
ill.
The young are permanently in a state resembling
intoxication.
Aristotle
A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.
William Shakespeare
It is all that the young can do for the old, to shock them and keep
them up to date.
George Bernard Shaw
How to maintain that young look
* Don’t smoke.
It increases free radicals, which lead to cell death, it wrecks your
lungs so you can’t exercise and it affects your social life. Among many
other damage.
* Maintain a healthy weight.
|
Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an
opportunity |
Overweight is hard on the joints and it’s hard on the heart that has
to work overtime to carry the extra weight.
* Meal
Include lots of colourful vegetables in your diet, especially orange
and yellow ones. It helps the body’s cells stay on a normal healthy path
rather than wander off and die or become cancerous.
* Work your heart.
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise is a workout
that makes your heart muscle pump a little harder for a period of time.
* Be strong.
Do weight training at least twice a week. Strong muscles lead to
strong bones, which don’t break as easily. Broken hips make you feel
old. Strong muscles give you independence to do simple things like open
jars and chop wood.
* Balance.
Balance deteriorates with age, but it can be trained and maintained.
Practising balance by doing yoga or dancing or even standing on one leg
in the kitchen is great neuromuscular exercise.
* Think.
Use your brain to learn, do crossword puzzles, math problems or
simply read stimulating material. If you don’t use it, you lose it.
* Be young.
Laugh, dance, visit, and explore new things. Attitude is everything.
|
