“Youth is a gift of nature but age is a work of art.” ~ Stanislav Lee

When young we tend to have a positive outlook. Older people, however, may think they've grown past the enthusiasms of their youth, but chances are they're doing little to stimulate their attitude. In reality, a positive attitude has no connection to age. At the age of 76, General Douglas MacArthur said, 'You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart, there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage; so long as you are young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then and only then are you grown old.'

“When you're young, everything feels like the end of the world, but it's not; it's just the beginning.” ~ Zac Effron

Youth haven't seen yet how time can turn things around, how new opportunities emerge. Albert Camus said, 'Youth is above all a collection of possibilities.'

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” ~ Sophia Loren

That source is your spiritual being, ageless and timeless.

“Take risks in your life... If you win, you may lead. If you lose, you may guide.” ~ Swami Vivekananda

Win or lose is not the point. We're all valuable participants in the game of life, empowered by our uniqueness and enriched by our knowledge ad experience.

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

It has been said that young people today have more options than ever before with less guidance. The rudimentary skills children learn in school are crucial for their intellectual development, but ultimately leave little room for spiritual and personal growth. It is time that we focus on the personal development of our younger generations. Young people are the business leaders, decision-makers, and legislators of tomorrow. Even more importantly, their minds have an openness to new ideas, which is perhaps the greatest asset to any evolving society. I wish for our children to find what they can contribute that no one else can, so when they're nearing the end of their life they can look back and say, 'I am going to miss this life. It was just amazing!'

All four areas of an individual's life (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) must be covered by the education process, but there should be no set curriculum that everyone must go through except at a very rudimentary level. One exception is the spiritual area, where everyone needs a basic understanding of who and what they are, and what society expects from them. Nearly everything else should be tailored to meet the individual's needs and interests. People learn most effectively when they are interested in what they are learning. Until they are self-motivated to learn something, it is not worth wasting the effort to teach them. Continues...