[Paleopsych] teen spirit

[Michael Christopher]

Alice says:
>>There was an interesting article somewhere--maybe 
Frank sent it in?--about teenagers and the possiblity
that what they were missing was 'religion' or
'spirituality' or a 'sense of purpose and meaning
beyond them.'<<

--I think that's true in a way. Unfortunately, the
only alternatives kids can see are traditional
religion, drugs or "boot camp" and team-oriented
programs which tend to be too authoritarian to meet
spiritual needs. What's needed is a place where kids
can be creative, make music, play with multimedia.
Something that involves teamwork without coercion,
enables kids to develop a voice in the world and be
heard. Our culture has become swamped with conformity
and with knee-jerk rebelliousness (which has its own
rules of conformity), neither of which enables kids to
develop a genuine, individual creative voice. Most
people, including adults, use romantic relationships
as their next best outlet, which puts too much
pressure on relationships. Spiritual blocks and
creative blocks are basically the same problem:
overediting, overfiltering and excessive worry or
confusion about how messages are received. Give kids a
place they can fully express their visions, where they
aren't torn down for coloring outside the lines, and
you'll change the culture for the better. The current
trend toward greater structure and conformity won't
work, although it may pave the way for more evolved
forms of teamwork later on. Discipline isn't a bad
thing, but when it's based on fear of disappointing a
group or an authority, a compensating tendency toward
individuality is inevitable.

Michael


		
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