Ethical Issues of Our youth and Our Responsibilities

Ethical Issues of Our youth and Our Responsibilities

The dawn of 15th August 1947 must have brought feelings of independence from British Rule and freedom from slavery. The independence is cherished ever since; however, the nation was destined to plunge into a number of endemic problems such as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and social injustice. Throughout the seven decades, every mature citizen of this nation has worked for the prosperity of this country. He has tried to transform the state from an impoverished to affluent state; from an illiterate to educated state; from an unemployed to employed state; and from a socially unjust state to a state where justice prevails. However, we have definitely been blinded by our pursuit for prosperity. Although we haven’t achieved any notable success in becoming a developed nation, here we find ourselves in the midst of the second generation of endemic problems today. 

By saying that our zeal for prosperity has blinded us, I mean that our pursuit of it has led us to an unknown field of abstract social problems, such as frustration, anxiety, aimlessness, disappointment, and moral decay. The irony is that we have already suffered seven decades of dire struggle, meanwhile; some new notorious social evils of the modern era have welcomed us. 

There are, undoubtedly, numerous reasons for being poor, illiterate, and unemployed. There are innumerable books and literature on it. However, the new phenomena of social problems are mainly caused by social media and its unwarranted use.  

In this material and monetized world, we find out that every human action is dictated by the desire to accumulate ever increasing wealth. Therefore, in a society such as the one we live in, monetary gains outweigh everything else. Despite knowing the harmful effects of something upon our moral and social well-being, we as an individual will persist with it if it can help us monetarily. This, indeed, is the harshest truth that almost everybody of us knows, but nobody dears to admit it.    

The constant use of social media has made us anxious and frustrated. We have drifted from a purposeful life to a state of aimlessness and dire helplessness. Furthermore, the meaningless life has bred in us pessimism that tends to incite young men to either commit suicide or kill someone else. This as a whole culminates in our moral decay as a society. The weakening bond with spirituality has diminished our capacity to resist cultural invasion. As a result, we are no more guided by spirituality but rather by evil in the shape of western culture. 

We idealize western culture. Our attitudes, our growth patterns, our literature and arts, our dressing, and most importantly, our education system are all westernized; leaving behind the trails of pious cultures that we once owned for centuries. 

In an attempt to find out the reasons for this decay, I blame it to people’s obsessive use of the internet and social media. Moreover, not to mention the negligent role of parents and the educated class of our society. 

To address these eternal problems, we need some miraculous solutions, and none better than self-help.   

Our educated class ought to stand up, raise their voices, and take action as a result. They must come forward and educate our youth. We must help our younger generation find an objective for their life; help them envision a beautiful and peaceful life. We must educate youth about handling frustration; help them find the true purpose of life. We need to find a way to resist the westernized culture and help promote the ideal culture: Islam. We own a proud culture, an inspiring tradition, a rich artistic heritage, and an education system that is unrivalled for its ethical and moral teachings. Nevertheless, they are overshadowed by the western cultural invasion. Thus, I believe it is a moral duty of educated individuals to reform this society in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); lest we are asked in the court of the Lord.   

Therefore, I believe the first generation of ethical issues such as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, over-population, and social injustice are fetal and I do believe they have immensely contributed to the upbringing of the second generation of endemic problems such as frustration, depression, purposeless life, pessimism, and moral rot. However, the principal character behind all this is the social evil of social media that is used as a weapon to invade our culture by the western forces. We, quite unknowingly, have become a genuine accomplice of the West in this Cause. Hence, we as educated being need to realize our responsibility and help our youth fight the war against the imposed cultural invasion. Because “The loftiest of services is the service of humanity.” (Muhammad PBUH)