In the year 2000 the United Nations declared 12 August as International Youth Day. This shines a spotlight on the importance of young people, for on that day the world turns its gaze towards their needs and encourages them to participate in society.
However, what we see is the young people of our world faced with tremendous challenges by the modern world and its systems. We need to ask ourselves: “Is this helping them?”
Society has changed rapidly since the beginning of the century. In the urban areas where most of the world’s population lives life moves at a frantic pace and, even in more rural areas, technology brings a negative as well as a positive impact. Academic pressure, job uncertainty, and social, political, and environmental tensions all contribute to high levels of stress, anxiety, existential crisis and depression among the young.
Although we now have an abundance of information, most of it merely produces saturation and confusion. Amidst all this noise, we want to pose a question:
Is youth just about how old our body is?
From the Gnostic point of view, existence is not merely related to the physical body, but also includes the higher dimensions of being: essence, consciousness, and soul.
Energy, vitality, strength, and enthusiasm are attributes of the soul, the spirit, and consciousness — eternal values that transcend time.
If the spirit remains youthful, we can say that the person is young, regardless of their chronological age. Thus, in essence, youth is a state of the soul.
What Does Gnosis Say About Youth?
There is a phrase attributed to Socrates: Education is not to fill a vessel but to kindle a light.”
Gnosis teaches that human life unfolds in seven-year cycles that are influenced by stars and planets that affect both our psychology and our biology.
It is clear that life on our planet depends upon the Sun and the tides and waters of nature are governed by the Moon.
Human life is also influenced by the celestial bodies of our solar system. Within this framework, during Adolescence, from age of 14 to 21, the influence of the planet Venus awakens the need for affection and tenderness in the human being.
Adolescence is the time when sexual energy deepens the voice, brings transformation of the body, and the psychological changes that alter our way of thinking.
This same energy also provokes existential questioning: ‘What is the purpose of my existence?’
The life stage of Youth lasts from 21 to 35 years of age, encompassing two seven-year cycles governed by the Sun – the celestial power that gives us the ability to face life consciously.
This is the time of life when the young person seeks their independence, sets out on their own path and builds their own home.
When these solar forces are wisely harnessed, they lead the young person to take wise decisions. This is only possible through self-observation and self-knowledge.
Vocation – our Inner Calling
Just as we are born with the five physical senses that allow us to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, another sense also exists: the vocational sense.
This guides us and orientates us towards the role we are meant to have in life.
Every young person who embarks on a course of study should ask themselves: Why am I pursuing these studies?
Am I doing it to please my parents, or because it will make me admired by my peers, or because I truly love what I have chosen to study?
A young person may follow a profession not because they genuinely have a vocation for it, but out of desire for material success, social prestige, or recognition — all typical of a world that glorifies social status and material wealth.
It is necessary to study: acquiring fundamental knowledge is basic to functioning in society. But many young people choose their profession driven by fear — fear of living, of dying, of hunger, of poverty, of judgement by others.
Our motivation for choosing a profession should not be fear, but rather the love of our fellow human beings and a longing to serve them.
Sadly, in modern life, many people go to work without joy but with a lot of ambition, unconsciously driven by fear. They do jobs that have nothing to do with their true vocation.
Youth and Self-Knowledge
Our vocation is that which we genuinely love — the profession or work we perform with joy because we love what we do.
When someone works in harmony with their passion they express love, because their actions are aligned with their inner calling.
Every student should deeply study the knowledge related to their vocation.
Study is necessary, but it’s not a matter of stuffing the mind full of information. We abuse the mind when we try to master many different fields, or when we use intellect to dominate others.
To have a balanced and healthy mind, it is essential to balance professional study with spiritual practice.
This is a fundamental principle taught by Gnosis.
When life is reduced merely to a profession or a means of making money, the inevitable result is boredom, frustration and the urge to escape.
Become an Integrated Individual
To live a fulfilling life, serving our fellow human being with love, we need self-knowledge.
If these reflections have inspired you to awaken the true youth of your soul, subscribe to our blog to receive more keys to inner wisdom and share this message so that more young people may awaken to their true vocation.
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