TED Conversations

Corvida Raven
Brooklyn, NY
United States

Community Catalyst, TED Conferences

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

What is the single most important question that the youth of this era need to ask themselves?

The youth of today are growing up in a completely different world from their parents and grandparents. With all the technology, media, and economic problems of today, it makes me wonder about the questions that the youth should ask themselves.

What do you think is the single most important question that the youth need to ask themselves? What was a question you wish you would've asked your younger self?

Related Talks:

Topics: life tedxyouth youth

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

Tom Hodge-Sellers
- +1
Sep 9 2011: the question i often hear when we debate outside of class is;
"why can't they just leave us alone?"

the second most often question i hear is, "should we care about what parents/society/adults think?" a lot of my friends have advocated that we just wash our hands of you and go to sit out the coming natural disasters due from global warming and just do our own thing. there seems to be a hell of a lot of resentment about the assumption that because we were born in this society, we belong to them and have to follow their rules.
- Scott MacAfee
  - +4
  Sep 9 2011: I see it as an issue that "youth" see it as an us and them thing. When did it stop being WE? and how do we bring it back to US.
  - Benny boy
    
    0
    Sep 11 2011: i would say a large majority of adults see it as an us and them type thing. "ur the ones with wars". you know?
    
    youth gotta see we are the ones with wars.
    only adults are the self-responsible ones.
    - Scott MacAfee
      
      0
      
      Sep 12 2011: I also see it as an issue that adults see themsleves as apart from youth - afterall youth were adults 20 years earlier and adults will be seniotrs in 20 years.
      
      I don't know if adults or youth or seniors or babies OWN wars - I think wars are all ours, as we all live with the damage, the destruction and the division that they cause.
      
      If there was only WE and no US or THEM - would there still be wars???
- robert richards
  - 0
  Sep 9 2011: Why are these youths asked to bear the emotional burden of their parents? Are they mature enough to take on adult concepts? I feel you have not been clear in your post. An observation.
  - Tom Hodge-Sellers
    
    +1
    Sep 11 2011: i must congratulate you in your clarity- however it seems to me that you have not been clear with your first question, what do you mean by the 'emotional burden of their parents'?
    to the second question; yes, a large number of students are more than able to 'take on' adult concepts and have been since we were 14, although i would say a large majority of us are uninterested in asking such questions and care more about things like football.
    - robert richards
      
      0
      
      Sep 11 2011: My appology Tom, you have answered my second question and indirectly my first. The thread question is asking about children when citing talks related to this topic. In your first post I thought you were discussing kids not young adults, in which case they are indeed old enough to deal with the emotional burdens that are associated with most adult concepts. Thank you.
- Helen Hupe 30+
  - 0
  Sep 9 2011: Tom...Unless there are some kind of rules (not mine lol) there is chaos.
  - Tom Hodge-Sellers
    
    0
    Sep 11 2011: chaos has a bad implications in english, even though i would say it is the natural state of affairs.
    everyone has their own set of rules, or moral values and without a form of government people revert to these rules, which poses the question; "are people inherently good?" if they are we wouldn't need a government to set laws or to uphold them. if the answer is no, more likely, then it would revert to the strong take and the weak serve.
    anyways i wasn't implying anarchy i was simply stating that many of my friends think we shouldn't have to be confined to the country were born in if we don't agree with its government.
    some people just want to be left to their own devices and let others worry about politics and 'perceived threats' and money and things like that
    - Helen Hupe 30+
      
      0
      
      Sep 11 2011: You have a point, Tom. I have to think this over. I'll have more to say.
    - Benny boy
      
      0
      
      Sep 12 2011: "Responsible freedom of self determination, becoming truly
      self-confident and free, to unconditionally be responsible for oneself,
      without being coerced to accept some higher authority."
      
      http://responsiblefreedom.com/
      
      i like how this puts it. btw this is for tom
- Drusi megget
  - 0
  Sep 12 2011: when you (or your friends) say "we just wash our hands of you and go to sit out the coming natural disasters due from global warming" there is a problem in that the average temperature will go up 6 degrees C in the next 100 years and mankind can't keep living in that environment because wheat and other food plants won't grow! so, yes, us adults caused the problem but everyone who understands what's happening needs to get out there and educate sweetly (not arrogantly) that a low carbon economy NOW is v important and lets get on with it
- Simone Lackerbauer 100+
  - 0
  Host TED Translator Associate
  
  Sep 12 2011: On the one hand, there is nothing you can do about the society you were born into, so it's not worth the effort revolting against this fact. On the other hand, I think they "why can't they just leave alone?" also should be heard. It is true that imposing an older generation's rules on the one that follows is only helpful to a certain degree: every generation grows up with its own tools and at its own speed and we should keep this in mind when we ask ourselves what "young people" should or should not do.

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

Sign In

To join or start a conversation, you'll need to sign in. Not a member? Register Now (it's free and fast).

Live Conversations

Live Conversations are hosted by TED speakers and TED Fellows. Ask your questions and participate in the discussions on the following dates and times: