Someone asked me who exactly can be considered as a youth and what it even means. I told them in my limited understanding that youth is the time of life, when one is young. The word youth can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (maturity), but it can also refer to one’s peak in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. It can have both a literal and metaphoric meaning. 

As for the meaning of being a youth in general terms, everyone knows that they are the backbone of the country and play a major role in the economic development of the country both literally and figuratively. However, there are several issues and distractions in which the youth is involved. 

The youth do not understand the enemy they face. Understanding the enemy does not refer to a person in particular but acts as a metaphor for negative things. Young people tend to have a lot of negative vibes around and within them – stressing over petty issues, engaging in bad habits, peer pressure and other common negative things with which young people are surrounded. In order to overcome these issues, first they need to understand what the problem is, what and who the enemy is. All the problems lie in your head and so does the solution to the same, even if you think it’s from another person. Therefore, it is advisable to first understand your “enemy”.

In what is becoming more open and public now, the youth do not respect the elders and are certainly not humble. Respect elders and be down to earth: Being from Africa, we are always taught to respect elders and be humble. Even though Namibia is adopting westernisation, the youth are losing their roots in their cultures which is a serious issue. Being arrogant, rude, aggressive and having a revengeful nature are common issues seen in youth today which lead to crimes. When we respect elders, we exchange our thoughts with them and learn new things from them which is always beneficial for the youth. Also, our culture and history set an example that good deeds come to good
people.

As Seneca said: “Success is not greedy, as people think, but insignificant. That is why it satisfies nobody”. Do not be greedy, we all seek satisfaction, happiness and well-being, but greed and selfishness create further cravings and anxieties within us. The more we act on these, the more dissatisfied we become. Hence, we should control our greed in a positive manner by self-growing and letting others earn and grow with us.

That is what being a youth is and/or ought to be.

- Olavi Popyeinawa

 - Twitter: @olavipopyeinawa

 - Email: olavipopyeinawa@gmail.com