I have been asked to speak briefly on the subject of youth decision-making. As you know, "full and effective participation of youth in the life of society and in decision-making" is one of the major thrusts of the United Nations' World Programme for Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and beyond. The Programme for Action calls for such participation both for the sake of youth's intellectual contribution as well as for the "unique perspectives" which youth can bring to bear and which need to be taken into account.
I would like to take advantage of this invitation to contribute a few thoughts on this matter. The ideas I am about to present are straightforward, practical and easily understood. However, make no mistake, their implications fundamentally challenge common method and approach in many spheres of interaction with youth.
To begin with, I will start with an assumption - one that most of you will readily accept. Namely, that the purpose of life is not merely to survive and thus extend our genes into the next generation. Nor is the purpose of life to acquire comforts and to die wealthy. Rather, the purpose of life is to express eternal principle in the ever-changing flow of an evanescent world. In other words, to bring spiritual principle to bear on a pragmatic, material plane. Sounds too theological? Too philosophical? Perhaps, but the end result is this: you and I, as human beings, will never be satisfied with material comforts. Gold will never feed our souls. The more we have, the more we long for - and ultimately we come to realize that the only lasting satisfaction in this world comes from expressing that which is not of this world. Above food we desire justice. More than money, we desire love. Beyond our favorite theories and cherished opinions we yet crave Truth.
Desiring a just world, however, and achieving it, are two very different things. To proceed practically on the road to justice requires widespread morality. By morality, I am not referring to the ugly self-righteousness and intolerance that often calls itself such. By morality, I mean a desire to do right, a civic spirit - which alone can bind individuals into a cooperative society, an indignation at social injustice and the courage to confront it despite personal dangers involved and finally, the habit of holding oneself to the highest standards and the resulting capacity to forgive the weaknesses of others.
But what does all this ethical philosophy have to do with youth and decision-making? Very simple! Decision-making is the process of applied moral responsibility. Our concept of morality is expressed in the way we raise our children and the way we socialize our youth. We tend to believe that morality is 'doing the right thing'. This is a wrong and dangerous misunderstanding. Morality is not doing the right thing but rather making the right decisions. The distinction is subtle but important. You see, we do not build moral capacity in youth by coercing them to do good and restraining them from engaging in immoral acts. A caged tiger, you see, is still a tiger. Moral education, then, must be understood as training youth to themselves derive action and response from principle. This point cannot be overemphasized; therefore, I will re-phrase it: Moral training is the combination of two things: moral knowledge and moral responsibility. Again, two parts, knowledge of principle and responsibility to put that knowledge into practice.
Based on this idea, I would like to present six practical suggestions for parents, educators, administrators and indeed "all those in authority" to aid in creating an environment which fosters the capacity for constructive decision-making:
First, teach youth to solve problems by raising any particular issue to the level of principle. Primarily, such a habit inserts a natural educational element into the problem-solving experience. Moreover, by cultivating this practice, the student develops the capacity to arrive at solutions which avoid the dangerous consequences of pure pragmatism - in which the solutions themselves sacrifice moral principle for the sake of a desired end. Such pragmatic decisions have been responsible for the vast majority of modern human suffering.
Second, resist the urge to make decisions for the youth. Decision-making takes practice - lots and lots of practice. Such practice only happens with real problems. The act of decision-making is the consequence of holding real responsibility. Parents will quickly appreciate that doing their child's homework will not help the child when the time comes for the final exam. Yet how often those in authority want to intercede and make every decision - large and small - for the youth. Adulthood is a final exam; youth is the homework assignment.
Third, resist the tendency to educate using punishment and rules. Law, punishment, rules and regulations are useful for the protection and ordering of society. Using them as a replacement for moral or civic education is an abuse. They are not effective educators. Parents and authority figures should be fearful of laying down too many rules and regulations, which tend to demoralize and burden youth. If you feel that actions are developing into a trend with potentially harmful consequences, resort first to consultation and find a way to educate the youth in a manner that will improve both their understanding and their conduct.
Fourth, allow the youth to make mistakes. Support their efforts anyway. It has been truly said that in developing capacity, "a wide latitude for action must be allowed them, which means that a large margin for mistakes must also be allowed." If you desire a generation willing to stand up and take responsibility for creating a better world, you parents and administrators must now have the courage to allow the youth a "wide latitude for action" and you must be willing to change your attitude towards mistakes. If we do not today see a large margin of mistakes in the actions of our youth, we can be quite certain that they are not being given a wide latitude for action.
Fifth, do not react automatically to every mistake. I've already asked that youth be allowed to make mistakes, now I am asking that they be allowed to discover and correct their mistakes themselves. This one is going to be really hard for parents and those in authority to practice. Especially since the tendency to correct every perceived mistake is natural and flows from parental love and from a deep desire to see our youth free of any flaw. But in fact most mistakes - if allowed - become life's most effective teachers. What practical effect does the lecture have after a child burns its hand on the hot stove. Let life speak for itself and do not interfere in its lessons. Of course by now I've lost all credibility for it seems I am suggesting a descent into chaos. Here is the key: there are two types of mistakes and it is the responsibility of those in authority to learn to distinguish between them: first, those mistakes which are self-correcting with the passage of time and second, those which require intervention.
When making such an important distinction, please remember: intervention often short-circuits the educational process and should be done only when necessary and only for the protection of those involved. Of course I'm distinguishing here between loving guidance eagerly received on the one hand and on the other, condescending lecture rarely accepted and usually resented. To restate, 'such tendencies are of course motivated by a deep love for our youth and a desire to see them free of any flaw.' "But human beings are not perfect" and constant correction and moral micro-management stifles budding courage and willingness to take initiative.
Sixth, do not use criticism as an educational tool with youth. One of the most destructive and dangerous methods of training is the use of criticism to alter or rectify behaviour. Nothing could be less effective as an educational tool than criticism. Its use inhibits creativity, stifles initiative, stunts growth of character and smothers enthusiasm - and enthusiasm is perhaps youth's greatest potential contribution to the moral reformation of our planet. The goal of moral education is to create an environment in which solid moral capacity can grow and develop. Not through criticism and coercion but rather through constant encouragement, unceasing praise and unconditional support can we create such an environment. Only in such an environment can a new moral leadership arise - a moral leadership which tomorrow desperately needs.
In conclusion, I have set forth briefly, a few concepts and suggestions surrounding the development of principle-based decision-making capacity. Primarily, I have suggested that morality is not in the deed alone but in the capacity to make and implement moral decisions. This capacity is acquired through a combination of education and responsibility - that is, learning moral principle and being given the responsibility to implement such principle in life. Indeed, decision-making is the exercise of moral responsibility. To foster real decision-making, I have appealed to parents, educators, committee members and "all those in authority" to relinquish unnecessary control, to allow a healthy process of learning - which includes making mistakes - and to rely on praise, encouragement and education to create an environment for the growth of moral responsibility.
What is called for is nothing less than the paternal decentralization of moral responsibility. How much responsibility can or should be placed on the shoulders of youth? Give them just as much as you possibly can without killing them. The world at present is a dangerous place. Powerful destructive forces are rampaging our planet, twisting and tearing down our present order. It has been said truly that "the dogmas of a quiet past are inadequate to a stormy present." And as an authoritative writer puts it: "A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth." The question before us is how to best prepare our youth to meet the challenges of a dangerous and rapidly changing global homeland. The answer is that time is short. Our present youth will decide the most important issues of human history. Their capacity to make principled decisions may well determine the survival of our species. How to best develop in them this capacity is a principled decision that you with have to make.