Youth

is the engine of the world...

I was on the fence about Matisyahu when King Without a Crown broke through and became a minor hit.  The Jewish Orthodox Dancehall Toaster thing wasn't enough to sell me because the upbeat "sunny" reggae wasn't the kind I gravitate towards.  Then came this one, and my tune changed.  I'm definitely a fan of Dub-Reggae and it's that element of 70s reggae that bled into Punk and even later Hardcore and Metal to create a hybrid that taps into something in me like no other music.  Youth gets into that.  But beyond that it touches on a reality the world struggles to digest, its parasitic relationship with its offspring.  No one likes to train their replacement, it heralds the numbering of their days, but that's what we are here to do.  We are torch bearers and the young are better equipped to run farther and faster.  The shame is that they could do so with greater success with knowledgeable guidance from those who've ventured down the road ahead of them.  That part of the process is dying.

The modus operandi in the current state of the world is to exploit the youth and naivete of the inexperienced. Their enthusiasm and zeal are cultivated to further the journey of the experienced and empowered beyond what would otherwise be the end of  reign as Torch Bearers.  As the embittered and world weary cling to the fruits of their labor and horde the spoils of  the youth they lost by controlling the machinery of society to facilitate their desires for more, the heart and soul of the young are exhausted.  The resulting carbon emissions are disenchantment and nihilism.

If you want an engine to keep running you have to maintain it.  Instead society has taken a bent towards running its engine into the ground.  Youth fades younger and younger these days.  We push adult ideas and responsibility onto children to spare ourselves of having to protect them from the corruption of the world for a longer period of time, or being faced with having discussions with children when they are mature enough to raise their own questions rather than taking our ideas and biases at face value because they are young, innocent, and trust us above all else because we are all they know of life.

Youth shouldn't be synonymous with age, or the idea of ignorance.  It's a condition, one that is relative to the party displaying it.  Working with young people can age you, or it can keep you youthful.  It's all a matter of what role you play with the youth, and what role you allow them to play.  If they are allowed to grow and learn in a constructive way they will eventually learn everything you can teach them, and will be suited to fill the role you occupy.  There's nothing wrong with that.  They just need to understand the value of doing so honorably, and more than that, the value of working together while you can, because having someone to share a labor with equal or superior skill and experience is a blessing.  It saves both parties the strain of having to take a labor upon one's self.  What youth we have, regardless of age, when shared, extends our years and enhances our vitality.