Our Inspiring Youth

This last week, my daughter and I spent several days down in Richmond, Virginia, for Supreme Session of the International Order of Job's Daughters (IOJD). For those of you who don't know, IOJD is a youth organization affiliated with the Masons, which teaches young girls ages 10 and up grace, virtue, and leadership. Like most masonic organizations, they have a complex ritual and are required to memorize an awful lot of formalized material.

Watching them march in, sing, and make their speeches was very inspiring. Most impressive, they even have to vote on proposed changed to their bylaws, part of which included a formal debate where three "daughters" as they are called got turns to speak on both sides of an issue. This year there were some contentious proposals, including a controversial proposal to change membership eligibility. What impressed me the most about this was (1) that those on both sides presented good, thoughtful arguments, (2) that they were very articulate in presenting their arguments, and (3) afterwards, even though there were some close votes and the issues were contentious, everyone accepted the decision with equanimity and left as friends. We adults should learn a few things from these girls, who carried themselves with poise and grace through the entire meeting.

Contrast this with what the popular culture tells us about our youth--that they are lazy, that they are uncouth, that they cannot control their hormones. Some say art is a reflection of life, and some that life is a reflection of art. In this case, I have to wonder whether what the popular culture tells us is a self-fulfilling prophesy. Is the culture just telling us the way it is, or are our youth sinking to fulfill our low expectations? There's a general rule that whatever we expect from people is what they'll true to fulfill. When we set the expectations low as we do so often in our popular culture--in movies, television, and dreadfully crude and base music--there's no wonder the youth of today so often lowballs even our low expectation of them.

My view has always been that art should do more than reflect reality (or, more often, merely sensationalize the more salacious aspects of reality). Art should uplift and exalt the human spirit and inspire us to greatness. Watching the daughters march around and give their speeches was an inspiring reminder to me that the youth of today is capable of just as much greatness as any generation in our past. We just need to set high standards for them and challenge them to give their best.