Spirituality and Meaning for Adolescents

1. Adolescents and the life of values

The Holy Prophet (saw) said: "I advise you to treat adolescents with understanding and affection, for they are tender-hearted and filled with goodness."

In his written will to his son Imam Hassan (as), Imam Ali (as) wrote; "O my son, I edified your mind and character in your adoles¬cence before your heart hardens in your old age."

While maturing, adolescents take an interest in metaphysical matters: they want to know more of what is and what goes on beyond the veil of nature, to penetrate into the mysteries enshrouding nature, into the spiritual world, and learn more about the Here¬after.

Moral Ideals and Asceticism

As far as tender feelings are con¬cerned, spiritual beauties attract ado¬lescents. As the Prophet (saw) said: "Adolescents are more virtuous and tender-hearted. God made me His Messenger to ensure people of His mercy and make them dread His wrath. Youngsters and adolescents took my advice and made a promise of allegiance with me, but the old an¬tagonized my call." He cited a verse from the Qur'an and talked of elder people becoming rough.

Doris Odelum observed that an adolescent without a religious predis¬position is like a ship without a helm.

Virtue and humanitarianism live in the hearts of adolescents. They think of nothing but moral standards and seek a perfect world.

Some psychologists refer to the moral inclinations of adolescents. Maurice Debs said: "The call of moral values in maturation means that adolescents are more prone to right¬eousness."

Moral tendencies of adolescents, plus the capacity for negativism and turning against moral values, both in¬fluence adolescents. Their responses to either of the two tendencies strengthen one and weaken the other.

2. Manifestation of human nature

The human being reacts with heartfelt inclination towards goodness and righteousness, and with hatred to¬wards wickedness. This occurs in the case where human nature is not de¬filed with immorality.

A Muslim writer and man of in¬sight, Ibn Tufail Andalusi, in his famous and moral thesis, "Hayy ibn izan," (Living Alertly) has made subtle references to human nature and how human knowledge is influenced by the intellect and innate faculties. This has also been treated in the thesis "Ovissantl-Ghurbatul Gharbia" by Sheikh Shahabuddin Sohrevardi.

Christian writers have also re¬ferred to moral goodness as an origi¬nal attribution. Tanogi Ducanton wrote in his book "The Three Es¬says..." about innate realities in hu¬man nature: "Having a religious sense is a basic, natural element of the hu¬man soul. Its essential component can¬not be transformed into any other cle¬ment. But the innate perception is beyond the intellect that springs from the source of the unconscious mind or psyche. The religious concept is as noble as the concepts of beauty (art), righteousness, and truth.

The religious sense, i.e., an appreciation of values, and a deprecation against values, is awakened in adolescence. To give influential encouragement to the innate aspects of adolescents through narrating moral stories, documentaries, historical events, studying Islamic and national cultures, making outstanding figures of Islamic mysticism known, and benefiting from the communicative language of art, all these help them overcome in¬trinsic rebellion and maintain mental equilibrium.

3. Tendency towards perfection

One of the most beautiful and meaningful human characteristics is the zeal for sublimity and perfection. The distinction between man and other beings is man's love of supe¬riority. A change in the actual status of man toward the peak of perfection gives life its movement. Seeking per¬fection suggests spiritual need. The psychologists of the perfectionist school, led by Abraham Maslow, call such need self-actualization. That is, man moves in stages, first satisfying his basic needs, and gradually moving towards realizing his potentials.

Perfectionism gives adolescents dynamism. It opens up a new outlook towards life. Self-stimulation of ado¬lescents and a clear-cut concept of perfection leads to a goal in life, for everyone sees life in his or her own way.

Religion is a genuine and reliable source for satisfying the perfectionism of adolescents and gives them a clue to their innate questions about moral and spiritual values.

The good points of Islamic cul¬ture can effectively satisfy the minds of adolescents. Islamic mysticism em¬bodies rare and striking manifestations of perfectionism. With precise percep¬tion and an accurate explanation of perfectionism, the adolescent comes to a point where he sees many human wishes as futile and meaningless. Then, with a perspective from the peak of consciousness, he looks upon human efforts, and, while struggling in his material life, he does not neglect to pay due attention to his spiritual needs.

4. A true understanding of the philosophy of life

Throughout the day, I am wrapped up in contemplation of how to understand the mystery of life. Where I come from and for what rea¬son; when my life will come to an end, and where I will be in my final hours.

Some men of knowledge observe that certain basic needs of adolescents are to be satisfied urgently. One such need is to get a true understanding of life. In childhood, children know nothing of the nature of existence; it is during adolescence when an outlook on life is established.

In adolescence, one's beliefs are subject to scrutiny. Children's beliefs are imitative; that is, they believe what their parents believe. But adoles¬cents want their beliefs to be sys¬temized so that they could rely upon them for the rest of their lives.

Adolescents want to get a perfect understanding of the nature of things; to this end, doubtful ideas should be overcome. Their questions are en¬shrouded in uncertainty, giving rise to their parents' worries, and, in some cases, causing a conflict within the family. Adolescent doubt is the start¬ing point toward certainty.

Adolescents should not be ac¬cused of heresy. Give them opportuni¬ties to argue over their beliefs, how¬ever unorthodox, and, at the same time, tell them that skepticism is a good passage, but not such a good place in which to dwell.

A psychologist says that the relig¬ious assumptions of adolescents are a support for their personality. An ado¬lescent said: "I like to know where I am. I never dread the idea of hell, because I know that I can be safe from it through piety and righteousness. I also know that leading a pious life will be rewarded by a place in paradise. I like to confess and repent of my wrongs, then live with a peaceful mind and a comfortable conscience. I like to believe that there have been and still are wiser and more experienced peo¬ple who have set forth certain criteria for man's life, and if I feel attached to an established faith of long standing, I will feel more secure about my fu¬ture."

Those who know where they are, and what the beginning and end of life is, feel they have a strong mental sup¬port to enable them to cope with the vicissitudes of life. Ultimately, they have come to know that there have been eternal criteria for life, according to which they can measure life. Other¬wise, adolescents would feel that they are suspended particles in space.

Imam Ali (as) said: "God ex¬tends His mercy over those who know where they have come from, where they are, and wither they will go."

Think for a while about your ex¬istence. Where you come from, and for what reason? What kind of wisdom is behind life? Take existence for non¬existence so as to understand the mys¬tery of life.

Questions About Life Which Ado¬lescents Want Answered Are as Follows:

1. The philosophy of creation: What is the origin of life? How is creation explained, and what is the genesis of the world?
2. The philosophy of life: What is life for? Why must we suffer the hard¬ships of life?
3. The philosophy of death: Why should we depart from this life? What is death, and what will become of us after death?

Analysis of Psychological Views

A psychologist believes that one's goals and plans cannot be confined to the choice of one's career. We are con¬cerned with the general concept of the philosophy of life and its future pros¬pects. Children live within the boundaries of the present, whereas adolescents look back on the past and, at the same time, look towards the fu¬ture. An adolescent considers himself a perfect being in the process of de¬velopment. He feels every experience of life is absorbed in him.

Some naturalist authors on educa¬tion and morality, like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, believed that religious ten¬dencies are prevalent among young¬sters of 15 to 20 years of age. Even great materialist psychologists have admitted to such religious and moral tendencies.

Kuchetkov and Lapie, two psy¬chologists from the former Soviet un¬ion, talk about moral tendencies of adolescents: "In adolescence spiritual feelings, which go towards solving textbook or scientific problems, are developed parallel to aesthetic feel¬ings, which are related to nature, art and literature."

Moral Feelings Have Primary Importance

Glenn Blair and Jones, two West¬ern, psychologists, express views that, since adolescents want to bridge the gap in their lives with cognitive development, a convincing philosophy or certain convictions give them ease of mind. There is evidence that religious matters, conversions to other relig¬ions, and political activity are the most important.

The family and their educational background renders it possible for adolescents to reach a concrete phi¬losophy responsible for their mental and spiritual needs; otherwise their lives would feel empty, with a deep spiritual vacuum; they would think that they are without identity and indi¬viduality, a situation they find intolerable.

A vacuum in the beliefs of adolescents drives them to trashy cultural tendencies, to joining "ism" and aber¬rant groups. In a study conducted by the Human Science Group of the Uni¬versity of Jihad of aberrant groups and their abnormal behavior, reference is made to reasons for adolescent ten¬dency toward such behavior, of which a summary follows:

What is understood from our analysis is that most of the aberrant youth, without having an accurate pic¬ture of the concept and philosophy of their group, imitate it. The main cause of their tendency toward aberration is the existence of a vacuum in their lives, and thus their real identity and individuality is lost.

Dr. Sharafi