South African Youth: Our desires

In my years as a young person. I have come to know one factor with which to characterise South African youth; a desire to touch.

This desire comes in different forms, and is often pursued in such a way that it aims to serve and achieve a particular purpose. Youth by character has aspirations, and these may be from becoming lawyers to doctors or from flashy millionaires to mafias. However immoral some of these aspirations may appear to be, the fact of the matter is that they are desires young people wish to fulfil, and with which to touch their society.
 
This observation represents a reality, and one which we probably would all love to enjoy; exercising free will without limitation. It represents a picture of what kind of young individuals we are likely to have in our communities, and not of communities we could have, through collective thought, that is. How then do we channel these desires and the energy that goes into their manifestation towards a path of common good? 

Firstly, the youth of South Africa needs a vision, one which is founded primarily on the desire to effect positive change before anything else.  Secondly, a desire to acknowledge the importance of education, and respond with urgency to the desperate need to read. And lastly, to aspire to inspire, that is, have ambitions and dreams that are not only for the benefit of the individual and feeding of egos, but inspiring confidence in others and using our skills to empower and help build our society.

Fundamentally, we must adopt the spirit of the youth of the 1940s, when they challenged the then leadership of the ANC for failing to actively engage and resist against the might of Apartheid head-on. In the same spirit, we need to think like the youth of '76, and if necessary, slightly more. Their struggle then, and ours now may vary on the basis space and time, but the objective remains the same; a quality education for all and absolute freedom from bondage.

Our desires should be built on a concrete foundation, one with the sole purpose of carrying above it a determination and willingness to touch the other positively. We must be a youth that not only desires the best for itself, but the best for a greater South Africa.