ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books World of Our Youth Introduction In the Name of God The Compassionate, the Merciful I counsel you to be good to youth, for they have the softest hearts. This is a beautiful, prophetic piece of advice. But how many parents and nurturers have heard it? Had they acted upon it, they would have been successful in their interaction with this age group, which represents unquestionably the most fertile stage of life!

Here is how psychologists, educators, and Sociologists have presented their findings on youth: Psychologists view the stage of youth as one of long personal crisis and personal struggle with various influences and reactions. They regard youths as adolescents; a stage which brings worry, confusion, depression, agitation, and every other difficult term found in psychology dictionaries.

Educators believe that the crisis (assuming that we first subscribe to the belief that there is a crisis) is one of structure and development, and that responsibility rests on the shoulders of the educational institutions-whose basic function is to lay the foundations of this structure and to develop the methods and forms of further learning. Sociologists see youth as a crisis in conformity, change, and behaviour... Is Youth Really a Crisis? We do not believe that it is.

If we agree that there is a problem or crisis, then it is not in the youth themselves, for they (the softest of heart) are very sensitive, good-hearted, well-intentioned. They are ready to understand and to compromise with the world around them. Youths are not a problem. Rather, the problem is to know how to get close to and to work with them. The youth-boy or girl-is neither intrinsically disobedient, perturbed by nature, or harsh.

Rather, it is the environment and the milieu, be it in the house, school, street, or institution. One may not properly interact with the youth's sharp sensibilities and instead treat him with hardness leading to harshness. One may err in dealing with someone who has just emerged from childhood into relative maturity. The youth may be looked upon as that same little child who remains a child.

The words of the poet best speaks of this false assumption for many who work in that field: Leila remains a child in my eye, Since yesterday, she has not grown but a finger's width...