teenagers.
this is the introduction to a paper i wrote for one of my classes. the paper was written as a general overview of high school students (so it will not encompass and describe every individual student). feel free to rip into any of the thoughts set forward in the introduction (my professor already has haha). i’m always up for some criticism.
-Chap Clark, Hurt
Students are currently born into a fragmented and isolating culture of abandonment. Ideals of community have been forfeited for ideals of the successful individual. Organizations and institutions that were originally created to help shelter and support our youth now exist for their own purpose and success. Even the family system, the one system that was intended to supply unwavering support in a child’s life, no longer lays the foundation that allows kids to properly develop and individuate.
American culture has demanded that our youth preform to our standards, conform to our molds, and/or be an image that pleases us in order to feel value and worth. What type of young people do prestigious colleges seek to be a part of their student bodies? They demand a student who has attained 4.0 GPA (or higher), competes in at least one varsity sport, runs the student government, and has accumulated hundreds of community service hours. We have created and continue to reinforce the idea that if you do not fit into the above mentioned mold you are sub par; you are not as valuable as the students that do. This mentality has left our young people lonely and abandoned. They feel disconnected from the adult world and often from their peers. They seek and long for a community that will value and support them during the process of individuation. These are the students that make up our youth groups. They carry around hurt, pain, and hope. They have hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll encounter an adult world that recognizes the value they inherently posses simply because they are God’s beloved children, a hope that an adult community will allow them, the little children, to come to Jesus, as they are.
First, I just want to say that I love reading your posts and I it’s really cool that you’re willing to be open about your opinions.
You mention the standards that universities have come to expect of their students — it doesn’t matter which side of those standards you fall, the weight of those expectations is enormous. On one side you feel inadequacy in not measuring up and the other side you feel a constant pressure to perform at high levels, always feeling judged and examined for worth. And I think that’s where this generation is starting to break out…realizing that life is not predicated on proving your worth, but believing that your identity is rooting in God and to live out that identity (which sounds a lot more simple than it is).
thanks for your words and for pointing out the other side of the coin. i didn’t do a thorough job emphasizing the idea that the standard doesn’t benefit the student that stands on either side.
i hope that we, as an adult community, can help them in the recognition of their worth and value.
thanks again tyler!