Thokoza ebusheni bakho
Ecclesiastes 12:1; “1 Futhi khumbula
uMdali wakho emihleni yobusha bakho, zingakafiki izinsuku ezimbi, ingakasondeli
iminyaka osho ngayo ukuthi: 'Angithokozi ngayo,' ”
It is a great blessing and joy to know
the Lord in the days of your youth for this grooms one into a God fearing Woman
and Man for the future.
We live in a society where we’re told
that we are supposed to enjoy the days of our youth. Be young, wild and free,
care-free of the consequences that might follow because you’re only young once.
We are given the platform to explore our wilderness, and be like untamed cats
in the jungle ready to hunt. It is rare that we are told the repercussion of
our actions. We are barely told the end results of this young life we’re supposed
to live to the fullest.
Educated men and women have come up
with terms such as adolescence- a stage in which a young person finds
themselves. They explore all horizons and within this stage, they are
experimental, from drugs and alcohol, traditional practices, religions, careers
etc. This is a crucial stage of a growing young person. Society often makes excuses
for them when a young person falls into the social deviant norms, like being a criminal
or drug abuse. Society is often in conflict with such as some believe that when
you are young, you have to go against the social norms, whereas others condemn
your actions and wonder who raised you.
Our various social structures have
customs which young people are “trained” on how to behave. This happens either
in formal learning (verbal and tested) or Informal learning (observational
learning); by looking at how our elders behave.
- Ø Cultural Structures; virginity testing, the elder ladies teach the young girls how to behave and carry themselves within society. They are taught the moral values and principles of a young woman. This grooms the young women into being the model figure of society.
- Ø Religious groups; young people are taught of the various “customs”, and behavior in which a believer in supposed to uphold. They’re molded into being leaders, a model of their perfection. They are also taught the “right” moral values and principles to live by. How to dress, talk, what to watch on TV, the music there are to listen to.
- Ø Pop culture; this is the now, the modern, the hip and happening in which most young people want to be identified with. This is a society which attracts many; some may fall along the way because the young are leading the young. “Indlela ibuzwa kwabaphambili”, basically meaning we learn from those who are ahead of us (elders). A popular term used within the pop culture is YOLO (you only live once), the terminology changes according to generations and era we live in, but the same concept and principle applies throughout.
Ones enjoyment of their youth is done
differently. Accordingly to the various principles we adhere to. We believe that,
that structure will mold us into being a model figure for the future generation.
These structures help us develop our survival instincts for the future.
The woman and man you will be tomorrow
is mostly constituted by the social cohesions you adhered to when growing up.
Who you are today and what you do
today will have an impact in your tomorrow.
Enjoy the days of youth so that
tomorrow you will not have any regrets & live your life wisely.
Proverbs 20:29; “The glory of young
men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair.”
By; T. Sibiya
T-Angelz Creations
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