WISE men have said that more often than not, youth is wasted on the young. This aphorism is ironic in that it is often uttered by those who no longer possess the gift of youth.
Perhaps the reminder of the Prophet of Islam rings true in this instance: “Utilise five things before five other things come forth your health before falling ill, your free time before becoming busy, your youth before turning old, your wealth before experiencing poverty, and your life before facing death.” More often than not, we forget these five gifts good health, free time, youth, wealth and the gift of life when we possess these things. Only when we no longer have them do we find ourselves longing for them.
This is true when it comes to youth. It is important that youths are reminded that their youthfulness is invaluable. They must know that the time that they waste at this age cannot be returned later.
Youths are the assets of a nation or society. This has been stressed repeatedly. In Malaysia, about 10 million of the total national population is in the 15-40 age group, commonly regarded as the stage of youth.
A saying attributed to Imam al-Ghazali states that: “If one wants to know the face of the future, look at the youths of today”. These 10 million youths be the nation’s leaders tomorrow.
They are the ones who will see whether the vision of today’s leaders is realised or not. These youths carry with them the responsibility of ensuring the nation’s continued survival and independence.
So, if we want to know what the future holds for the nation and ourselves, we just need to look at today’s youth. Are they ready to shoulder these responsibilities? Do they understand what is required of them? We live in an era vastly different from the past, the Age of Information catalysed by information and communications technology (ICT). This wonder of science and technology has made fiction into reality.
One of the effects is the establishment of knowledge-societies. In other words, today more than ever knowledge is the prime ingredient. Without knowledge a society will not be able to survive in an age where information is transmitted in the blink of an eye.
As such, youths should be cognisant of the need to have knowledge. Knowing how to use the tools of ICT is insufficient. Youths must also know how to use many applications in ICT to their advantage in gaining knowledge.
It must be remembered that ICT is not knowledge technology. It is only a means to handle data and information, as well as a way to communicate using text, graphics, audio and video. Handling data and information does not mean that one is handling knowledge. Communicating these data and information does not qualify one as a communicator of knowledge.
It is important that youths appreciate this fact. Many of us find ICT useful, in particular the Internet, because it enables us to search for information with greater ease.
Rapidly accessing data and information on the Internet should not be confused with ease in obtaining knowledge. That is earned through hard work and perseverance. It is not something that can be cut and pasted from the Internet.
This is why, in terms of the knowledge hierarchy, knowledge is placed higher than data and information. At the top of the hierarchy is wisdom, the pinnacle of knowledge.
For youths to face a world where most, if not all, aspects of life are dominated by ICT, they must equip themselves with the necessary knowledge. There is no short cut to that. No doubt the opportunities to do this today are far greater, but without hard work the quest will come to naught.
There is a pressing need to create knowledge youths, or k-youths, to become the prime movers in a k-society. These k-youths must be generated from today. To put it in another way, today’s youths should strive to acquire as much knowledge as possible.
What is important is that this knowledge is balanced between the needs of this world and the hereafter. We would like to see youths who can master pragmatic disciplines such as economics, law, social sciences and the sciences, and at the same time have understanding and knowledge in the areas of revealed knowledge.
This balance between the aqliah (acquired) knowledge and naqliah (revealed) is important to create a generation of k-youths who can withstand the unpredictable tides of the future. We know that one of the challenges that awaits mankind is biotechnological issues.
How will society in the future handle these challenges? If the leaders of tomorrow (read: the youths of today) could strike a balance between acquired and revealed knowledge, they would be able to tackle these challenges with greater ease than those who have only one of the two.
A combination of biology and fiqh would enable society to make informed decisions.
Nonetheless, knowledge without proper guidance is dangerous. This is where religion comes in. It provides the necessary guidelines that will keep mankind from straying.
It has been said that “knowledge is power”. We have also been told that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. These two adages serve as a reminder that while knowledge is important it is equally important to have the proper religious perspective.
In other words, knowledge comes with a high degree of responsibility. Muslim youths must use their belief (iman) and piety (taqwa) as the guiding principles for using the knowledge they have.
This, coupled with good character (akhlaq), would ensure that the knowledge that they attain would not be abused and misused. The Quran emphasises the dangers of creating destruction by abusing and misusing the knowledge given to mankind by God.
It is essential for youths to understand the need to be knowledgeable and responsible.
We do not doubt that youth is often associated with fun, games, leisure and sports. However, if the emphasis on the development of youth is given equal or greater emphasis as that of the development of sports, we can be certain that our young generation today would be more balanced in all aspects: Intellectually, physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually.
This is what we should be aiming for: A balanced young generation.