We are not yet adults and no longer the children we once were. The spirit of youth is not MTV and rebellion; it is not sex, drugs and rock and roll. The spirit of youth is the sum of the joys and sorrows we experience in our relationships with friends and family. It is the combination of successes and failures inside and outside of school. The spirit of youth is a time of complication that precedes adulthood and follows childhood.
Laughter is the food of the soul. We can't live without it. If we don't laugh, we disintegrate as I say and we die, slowly pine away. Everything we do in life is relative to laughter. To laugh is to love, to laugh is to understand, to laugh is to forgive. We must laugh. The laughter of children is beautiful and a smile can be devastating. Let me tell you the meaning of a smile: It costs nothing, it creates much, it enriches those who receive without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash, and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. There are none so rich that they can get along without it and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and natures' best antidote for trouble. And yet, it cannot be begged, bought, borrowed, or stolen for it is something that is no earthly good to anyone until it is given away. So if in the course of the day your friends may be too tired to give you a smile, they why don't you give them one of yours. Because no one needs a smile more than those who have none left to give. Smile!!
Let us be silent together.
Right before I sat down to write this brief little explanation of what I think the spirit of youth is, I knew exactly what I was going to say. But as I rummaged through my backpack to find a pen that worked and a piece of paper, all those wonderful ideas just seemed to fade away.
This posed a problem, considering that I had to get up here and say something with some kind of meaning.
Right now all of you in this auditorium are probably wondering why I am telling you this. This has nothing to do with the spirit of youth, right?
Maybe so, but for any of you that have raised a teenager, or for those of you who remember the good old days when you yourselves were young, try to remember what it was like to plan anything.
Did it ever end up as you planned? I don't think so.
I never plan more than 24 hours ahead of time. Even if I did, things never turn out quite the way I intended them to. Even important things in life don't always pan out the way they are supposed to.
So while you adults worry about the well being of youth, keep in mind that we are exploring and trying to tackle this life of ours, sometimes with the tools from a child's backpack. And life, for us changes so much and so fast, it takes us to exciting places beyond what we imagined.
If you come and listen in on one of the Youth Groups discussions in class, the first thing you will notice is that most of us are quite opinionated. In fact, we have often gotten into heated arguments over our views on certain topics. Some of us enjoy letting people listen to our thoughts so that maybe they can understand how we feel. We tell each other what we do to deal with and understand them ourselves.
Each of has strong feelings about what the Unitarian Church means to us also. Some of us face conflicts when it comes to talking about our religion in school, with friends, or even within our families. There are times when asked to explain "Unitarian Universalism" and what we believe in that we find ourselves speechless. I know that I have a hard time talking about my beliefs because I'm not quite sure yet what I believe in. Most of us find Unitarian-Universalism hard to define because the basic meaning is not written down anywhere. I guess that the meaning to it has to come from deep down inside where you can define it with your personal experiences and beliefs.
Today, members of our class will attempt to do just that. Sean Smith, Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, Alia Souissi, Erin Lysy, and Patrick Vernetti, will share with you some of their experiences. From the joys that they have belonging to the Youth Group, to the problems they face with friends, school, and families, and the great activities that we do together. I hope that in some way, this will all bring us a little closer together in understanding what we teens deal with, and how we feel about the world. We aren't just a group of kids only here to make our parents happy -- we are here because we choose to be, and because we are human beings with feelings just the same as you.
Being part of the Youth Group at this church has helped me in almost every area of my life. It has introduced me to new people and thoughts, and has helped me to better express my feelings to others. In a world of varied religious beliefs, especially among youths, the Youth Group is vital in that it can bring people together.
At school I work with nearly the same kids all day and every day. Almost all of these kids I've known since kindergarten. This situation is restricting in that you are not exposed to many different people over the years. Because of the minority of Unitarian-Universalists where I live, and for that matter everywhere, it is hard to discuss religion openly with other kids at school. That is in part due to the fact that most of these kids have grown up under different religions than I , or possibly no religion at all. At Youth Group, I get the opportunity to talk freely with kids and learn from their views. It is good have this group of friends completely separate from school; it adds a lot of social variety.
The aura of openness in the Youth Group allows for my opinions to be considered with care and thought. This constant factor has slowly effected all of my internal feelings. These feelings have been organized in my expression of them. I have a stronger sense of what I am really made of, and that helps me to learn about other people from the inside out. The Youth Group's environment is, at the very least, thought provoking. All members, I am sure, have felt inspired to ask an out-of-the-ordinary question, or to make a daring comment. The reason for this is that when generally open-minded people come together in a place such as church, they become more comfortable with their thoughts and those of others.
Everyone has a deep side. Many never explore it, but it is there nevertheless. What is in someone's deep thoughts? Well, it depends of course on the person. All deep thoughts are deep because they have been analyzed and picked apart until they are pure. The deep side to someone's mind can only be exposed by their exposure to others who think deeply. The Youth Group plays a role, again, in this by being a reason for people to come together and share ideas. Everyone sees and thinks in different ways, but this is to our advantage. The more we learn about the way others feel, the better we can understand one another, and ourselves.
Overall, the Youth Group can be very beneficial to developing minds. But, of course, everyone is developing their mind. It has, with at least myself, created a more objective way of thinking, without destroying what was subjective. I think that's pretty good, to have a Youth Group capable of all of these things.
For a long time now, I'm not sure how long, I have been intrigued by other religions. I've read books and watched television programs on many different faiths. I have talked with many people, both about the belief system of their religion as a whole and their personal beliefs.
I have learned a good deal. I have learned about Jewish history. I understand the process for achieving Sainthood in the Catholic Church. I know and understand the Five Pillars of Islam. I know the basic Tenets of Hinduism and I have some meager understanding of the meaning of Nirvana.
Researching the world's many religions has not simply allowed me to learn about other faiths, it has also taught me a great deal about my own spirituality. By learning about other faiths and belief systems, it has given me no other choice but to take a long hard look at what I personally believe.
I think that the most important thing about my religious research, however, is the reason behind it. I can't truly be sure exactly what the reason for my interest in other religions is. I have talked with a few people who suggest that I do it to fill a sort of spiritual vacuum I feel as a result of being a UU. I think, however, that I am only able to do this because I am a part of such a free and caring religion. That's why I'm a Theologian.
When starting to think about what to say this morning, I wasn't exactly sure how to begin. I'm supposed to speak about what my experiences as a Unitarian-Universalist youth have been like.
I guess I'll begin by saying truthfully, I hated going to church school when I was a little kid. Fortunately, my mother had a tendency to oversleep. The year we signed up for the nine AM church services, we almost never came. I thought the classes were boring and pointless as a child, but as I got older, the discussions we had became more interesting.
My mother started bringing me to church when I was three years old. She felt that I should have some exposure to religion without being dictated to about absolutes. She wanted me to have the freedom to choose my own beliefs.
I have attended a different church before with Christian friends. The teenagers in that particular church also had a youth group. The main difference between ours and theirs was that in theirs, they were preached to and couldn't talk, while in ours, we all participate in large, loud group discussions.
Being Unitarian-Universalist has, however, had its disadvantages. When I was younger, my more religious schoolmates sometimes talked about God and the bible. I never knew who Kind David was, or how a virgin could give birth. I first learned about Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark from my baby-sitter, who, I believe, was shocked at my ignorance. If I asked questions, or disagreed with my friend's beliefs, eyebrows were raised. Or worse, they'd warn me about hell. Soon, I learned to nod my head and not say anything when people spoke of their religion. It's not that I didn't listen, I did, but more often than not, I didn't agree.
No one's ever heard of Unitarian-Universalism, at least no one my age at my school. I go to Victor High School, where almost everyone is exactly the same. The very few friends that I've told about my religion are convinced my church is like a big field trip, or a camp. It's true, the Youth Group does do fun things: overnights, sledding, movies, etc. But we also share our feelings, ideas and beliefs, we try to listen to one another without judgment or fighting. Although this system isn't perfect, and arguments occasionally occur, we try to get along.
Our Youth Group has discussed everything from the Internet to teen suicide. We know each other, friendships have been formed and we feel comfortable.
I think that being a Unitarian-Universalist youth has been a very good experience in my life and I hope it will continue to be so. Even though I may not often speak of my religion to others, I'm proud of it.
Over the years I have gathered various words to form my own personal definition of the Unitarian-Universalist religion. Some of the words that come to my head are freedom, acceptance, and diversity These are things I place high value on in my everyday life as well, so Unitarian-Universalism has established itself as the pinnacle of religions in my head. I've always been relatively narrow-minded when it comes to this, thinking even if someone practices a different religion, what could they have against ours? After a discussion with my mom about this, I came to realize that almost every person thinks this way about their particular faith.
I've always had relatively good responses from the people with whom I have discussed Unitarian-Universalism. My best friend's mother, who had been raised Catholic and once thought of becoming a nun, was really interested in coming to seen the church for herself after we had a discussion about our different religions. Other reactions had been similar, until I talked to a friend who is a strict Christian. He told me that my religion is a cult, and when I die I'm going to Hell. His statement really caught me off guard, and all I could respond with was that it was his right to believe that, but do not expect me to agree. He almost laughed at me, wondering how I could possibly not believe in the Hell he was speaking of. This is when my UU background kicked in, and I realized not everyone is going to see Unitarian-Universalism as the "ideal" religion I do.
The response from my Christian friend made me realize that practicing Unitarian-Universalism has become much more than a religion to me, but a way of life, as well. The people I have met and come in contact with through the church have influenced many aspects of my life. My Youth Group peers alone challenge me each week to expand my knowledge and way of thinking. They are a crucial part of the transformation from me simply idolizing Unitarian-Universalism as a religion, to actually living the religion.
Of the many things our Youth Group does, one of its most important functions, is helping our community through volunteering. In the past we have helped numerous people with many things. For instance, every Thursday night, our Youth Group has five or six members that help at the Blessed Sacrament Soup Kitchen. For two hours our group helps prepare, serve and clean up the dinner served there.
In addition to that, six of us volunteer at School 22 each week. We go there every Friday after school for an hour and help a third grader improve their reading skills. This school suffers from a lack of funding and community involvement. Therefore, when compared to many of the suburban schools that most of us attend, the level of education is considerably lower. We help by reading to them and playing with them and by being their friends. Often these children's lives are consumed by violence with love in short supply and we endeavor to change that.
Many members of our Youth Group volunteer individually as well. Most of us volunteer for our school in many fund-raisers and other things. Some youth group members help at other soup kitchens, some are members of the departments, and almost everyone is involved in some other volunteer activity.
If you asked the people standing up here this morning why they volunteer, I am confident you will hear many answers. Among them, you may discover that teens volunteer for themselves, to talk to friends perhaps, or maybe to feel better, to believe they have helped to bring about a change to a major problem. Or perhaps, you might find that they volunteer for others because others are in need and because hundreds would go hungry if it were not for the many volunteers among us.
One of the most important reasons, though, that our group gives up time to help others is because it helps us to see another lifestyle. Most of us have been brought up and live in a middle class family where, of course, we want for things, but where our needs and much more are always met. When we are at Soup Kitchen or elsewhere volunteering, we see others who are less fortunate than ourselves, and who do not have, for instance, a roof over their head or a meal to come home to after work.
It is often easier to see the people in life who are wealthier and have more than we do and to desire all that they have. Often we will even wish for more. I have found, like many others, that at times we all lose sight of how great the things we have are. We are all very fortunate people who have much more than hundreds of thousands of others. There is not a person in our Youth Group who does not have a good meal every day, a roof over their head every night, or even things such as a vehicle or telephone. All of these things we take for granted at times. We are brought up to believe that we are supposed to have these, that everyone has a house and a care and a phone and many other things. But there are many people who are forced to live every day without a warm meal, or without a place to stay at night and we must not forget them. The thanks that we receive, and the warm smiles from everyone really allows us to see how important a few hours of our time are to hundreds of people who may not have had anything to eat that night if we were not at Soup Kitchen. We should be working to ensure that every person has a house or a place to stay and food to eat. Volunteering, for many of us, allows us to feel as though we are working toward that goal;. and that someday that goal can be reached.
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