Truth, Youth and Love

I have hope for humanity’s future.

It’s so easy to give up when one thinks the statement “I’m just so angry” is not just a temporary barometer or one’s outlook but is instead a lifestyle today. “I’m so angry” gives you an excuse to just sit there. “I’m so angry” let’s you blame everyone and everything.

Except yourself.

I’m old enough now that I’m entering that time of life when I could fall back on a couple of other ridiculously unconstructive phrases: “Kids nowadays…” and “Back when I was…we...”

Instead, I’m going to stick with hope.

My experiences working for and now volunteering at a school show me there are shining, optimistic spirits still in existence along with the darker things we see in our overall world. Kindnesses are still shared. Happy laughter is still possible. Shining eyes filled with delight at exploration still exist.

Hope is not dead.

My interest in music from around the globe gives me another reason to be hopeful. I’ve met (albeit electronically) some pretty amazing people exploring this musical world- from fans to critics. I’ve written before (Together With You, Delta Blues in Korean Youth) about the strong messages that the members of the K-Pop group BTS have covered in their repertoire (both band-wide and solo projects) since they first began as teenagers & young adults in 2013. It truly impresses me.

Their current world tour setlist is packed with intense commentary on everything from self-esteem issues to personal relationship struggles, thoughts on depression and concerns about destructive school structures and the pressure to conform. They’ve stretched themselves to country- and world-wide concerns about government corruption and the importance of personal involvement and commitment to others as one grows.

Their fans are heeding the messages. Groups come together. Ideas are shared. Plans are made and amazingly helpful things are done. Whether it’s cleaning up after a concert or organizing clothing drives for the needy, there are positive things happening because people are stepping up.

There’s a population today under 30 with strong social consciousnesses. Thank goodness.

We need the hope. We need the reaching out. We need the standing up. We need the holding of hands.