Young people do not value time – except for the visionary few

In youth one of the indicators in Sri Lanka is the lack of appreciation that time is important. On the one hand the young person is running don’t know where don’t know for how long, but the young person does not realize how important time is as they feel time is on their side and they have plenty of time to get it done.

When people look at it that way I enlighten their minds about how William Pitt the younger was the Prime Minister of England at the age of 24. I see all these youth at 24 and they cannot live on their own let alone manage a job, education and life on their own.

Young people though exposed to new technology that has speeded their learning still seem far away from achieving their goals quickly. When I say that the majority of youth only graduate at the age of 25, when in many countries they graduate at 21, means they start with a 4 year handicap, enabling other graduates from overseas universities to overtake them in employment from day one. Remember that there is no minimum age to do the London A levels, whereas in Sri Lanka schools will try to delay you from sitting for them. If one is home schooled on the London A level syllabus one can even sit the A levels at age 16 and enter University at that age with no handicap graduating before 20.

Just think of the head start that the student has. There is some discussion of them not being mature, but I disagree as there are many in Sri Lanka who are still eating at home at the of 30 and who I would contend are more immature than the 16year old I referred to. That argument does not hold water.

I ask young people not to waste time, and do something useful earlier on, lest they will be left behind by younger more able people who nevertheless exist. I blame poor parenting for this, and therefore the young person must realize that they are part of this phenomenon and must take control of their lives and pursue their interests rather than wait for something to happen in their lives.

The importance of time and its passage cannot be overstressed. Only busy young people realize it, so try to occupy yourself all the time in something both interesting and useful at the same time. Fulfillment will result.