Meaningful lives For Teenagers Essay

Many perceive teenagers today, as leading aimless lives, self-centered and not contributing to society, making their lives seem to be almost a waste. Therefore, in order to change society’s opinion as well as to make the lives of teenagers more meaningful, two areas would therefore need to be changed: the condition of the mind as well the taking of actions, which works hand in hand in causing this improvement. Firstly, having a goal in life would be the first step towards making one’s life more meaningful through the condition of mind. By setting goals, the teenager would therefore have some focus in life, providing them with the direction that would be essential in carving out their future. The goals however, must be realistic and attainable and not be too far-fetched; otherwise the goals would only prove to be a damper to the teenager’s spirit and aspirations. One must also possess self-confidence in their capabilities. By having self-confidence, the teenager would not falter along the way and have doubts in their abilities. Furthermore, with self-confidence, belief in one’s actions is guaranteed, and therefore, the teenager would be more determined to see their actions being carried out to the end, resulting in the lesser chance of them doing things halfway and therefore, lessening the meaninglessness of their lives. However, simply by altering the condition of mind is not sufficient as changing the mind without putting things into action is futile. Therefore, the above changes should be coupled with various actions that could display the meaningful lives that teenagers could have. One of the ways by which teenagers can be made to live meaningful lives is through work. Most teenagers nowadays tend to be more materialistic, and yet are unable to appreciate the value of money. Therefore, by finding work for them, they would be able to see the real world for themselves that it is not merely the comfort zone that they see and would be able to appreciate the value of money and the hardship that their parents have to go through just to earn that amount that they used to so flippantly spend. This would also  prevent them from spending so extravagantly as they did in the past. In addition, they can also take up suitable recreation in an attempt to self-improve. Through this, the teenager would have less time on their hands, and yet at the same time, they would be able to learn something new. This would also be beneficial in the near future, as they would have a diversity of skills and knowledge, providing them with an edge above the rest. For example, by taking up a non-academic course such as IT, teenagers would be able to obtain knowledge that is out of the classroom boundaries and would therefore be adept in another area that would be relevant in their future lives. Likewise, by taking up a sporty recreation such as basketball to the less common horse-riding, they would be able to keep fit and healthy while having fun in the same time, killing two birds with one stone. Also, by helping the less fortunate, the teenagers would be able to lead meaningful lives too. Through charitable activities such as community involvement services (CIP), youths are able to get involved in society’s happenings, while helping the less fortunate. This would also enable them to appreciate their current lives better, as they would see the plight of others who are much worse off than them. For example, by helping out at the children’s home, the youths would be able to appreciate their family and kin better, because as compared to the children in these homes who have no family to speak of, they are far much better off than them. This would also provide them with an opportunity to view the world in a different light, taking away the self-centered nature that surrounds them. Another of such examples would be that of voluntary work in the old folks home. By seeing the situation of these lonely old folks at the home, it would serve as a deterrent by which the youth would be unwilling to put their parents through such plight in the future, creating in them the awareness that their parents should be taken care of by themselves and not to be left in the care of the old folks home, therefore portraying how by helping the unfortunate, the youths are able to understand another aspect of life through hands-on experiences as well as the chance to contribute to their society. Finally, teenagers should travel to see other parts of the world in an  attempt to make their life more meaningful. By traveling, it provides the impetus and opportunity for the youths to gain exposure of the world, which also serve as a plus point when they enter the working world. This allows them to see the different cultures and customs that other parts of the world have, yet is lacking in their own society. For example, youths in Singapore are deprived of the four seasons due to Singapore being a tropical island, therefore, by visiting places that have such seasons, one would be able to experience the pros and cons of living in such a country, which also serves as an eye-opener for them. Likewise, by visiting developing countries around the world, youths would be grateful for their lot and would therefore not begrudge their background. They would also be more appreciative of the things they own and not be too demanding in what they do not have. Therefore, by providing youths with the opportunity to travel, they are able to live more meaningful lives through the fact that they are able to understand themselves and be more contented with their lot. In conclusion, based on the above-mentioned factors, it is indisputable that youths can and is able to lead meaningful lives through the conditioning of their mind as well as the altering of their daily actions.