ഇനി എത്ര ദൂരം

 

Helping Young Minds Become Stronger

The person sitting in front of you may be smiling, laughing, talking, and enjoying the moment. But what if, behind that smile, their mind is fighting a battle that nobody can see?

This question became deeply personal to me when one of my former students died by suicide. Even today, it is difficult for me to accept. What makes it harder is the memory I have of that student. During the time the student was studying, the student was always cheerful, active, and happy. I never imagined that this young person might one day face such an overwhelming struggle.

That experience left me with a painful realisation,we can never completely know what is happening inside another person's mind.

The student sitting in front of us may be laughing with friends while silently fighting thousands of thoughts. Someone who appears perfectly happy may be carrying pain that they have never shared with anyone. Sometimes, even the people closest to them may have no idea about the emotional battle taking place inside.

Young people between the ages of 12 and 30 are living through a particularly challenging stage of life. They are discovering their identity, building relationships, making educational and career decisions, and trying to understand their place in the world. At the same time, Generation Z has grown up surrounded by smartphones, social media, artificial intelligence, and constant digital interaction.

They are technologically confident, creative, expressive, independent, and willing to question traditional ideas. Yet there is a painful contradiction: they may be connected to hundreds of people and still feel completely alone.

Social media can intensify this feeling. Young people constantly see carefully selected images of other people's success, beauty, relationships, and happiness. Comparing their real lives with these idealised versions can make them feel inadequate.

Academic pressure, career uncertainty, family expectations, relationship problems, rejection, bullying, cyberbullying, financial difficulties, loneliness, and fear of failure can add to the burden. Sometimes one problem becomes overwhelming; sometimes several difficulties come together.

A failed examination may feel like the end of a future. A broken relationship may feel like the end of love. Rejection may feel like proof of being worthless. A career setback may make someone believe that there is no future.

But perhaps the greatest danger is not only the problem itself. It is the feeling that “I cannot handle this.”

This is why I believe our responsibility should not be to control every thought of a young person. We cannot control another person's mind. We cannot predict every emotional struggle. We cannot guarantee that the person smiling in front of us is completely happy.

What we can do is help young people become emotionally stronger and better prepared to handle life's difficult situations.

We need to teach them that life will not always go according to plan. There will be failure, disappointment, rejection, heartbreak, uncertainty, and change. These experiences can be painful, but they are not the end of life.

Young people need to understand that failure is an event, not an identity.

You may fail an examination, but you are not a failure. You may lose a relationship, but you are not unlovable. You may be rejected from a job, but you are not worthless. You may have a difficult year, but that does not mean you will have a difficult life forever.

Emotional strength does not mean never crying or hiding pain. Being strong means knowing that difficult feelings can change, problems can be faced one step at a time, and asking for help is an act of courage.

We need to teach young people resilience, the ability to face difficulties, learn from setbacks, seek support, and begin again.This responsibility does not belong only to parents, teachers, or educational institutions. It belongs to all of us.

We need stronger individuals and a stronger society. A society where talking about emotional pain is not considered weakness. A society where seeking help is normal. A society where young people know that they do not have to carry every problem alone.

Parents can listen without immediately judging. Friends can reach out when someone is struggling. Educational institutions can provide supportive environments, counselling services, and opportunities for young people to talk. Professionals can provide appropriate mental-health care when necessary.

Yet we must also accept that even with all these efforts, we may not always recognise what is happening inside someone. That should not make us helpless. Instead, it should make us more compassionate.

When someone says, “I am fine,” perhaps we can sometimes ask again. When someone becomes unusually quiet, perhaps we can reach out. And when someone talks about suicide or self-harm, we must take it seriously and help them get appropriate professional or emergency support.

Most importantly, we need to prepare young people before they reach a crisis.

Teach them resilience. Teach them that setbacks are temporary. Teach them that asking for help is courageous. Teach them that their worth is not determined by marks, appearance, money, relationships, popularity, or achievements.

We may never completely understand another person's mind. We may never know every thought they are carrying.

But we can do something. We can make our children stronger. We can make our young people emotionally stronger. We can make our families stronger. And we can make our society stronger.

The goal is not to create a generation that never experiences pain. The goal is to create a generation that knows how to face pain without losing hope.

Because sometimes, we cannot control the storm. But we can teach them how to stand strong when the storm comes.

Shameena P., Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Al Shifa College of Arts and Science, Keezhattur, Perinthalmanna.