Should youth get involved in politics?
I will start my answer with the words of a German port Bertolt Brecht…“The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies.”Political involvement doesn’t necessarily means joining a political party or running in an election. It basically means that a person must be aware of political development in general. One must be aware of the real concerns that can impact one’s life. One must be capable of identifying the real issues and filter out irrelevant issues that most of the politicians push on the public. For example, Congress and other parties pushed communal issues on the public and diverted all the attention from real issues like development of nation and corruption. Somehow even majority of the public also got carried away by such irrelevant issues and burnt their own homes in various communal riots, destroyed their own life running around for basic amenities like good roads, water, food, employment and medical facilities. All these amenities could have came to them only if they had focused on real issues of development and corruption by the government.Thankfully, mindset is improving nowadays and today’s youth is mostly focusing on such genuine issues. It is today’s youth’s duty to make sure politicians pay attention to pressing issues of good governance, public safety, economic development and government’s accountability towards public rather than superficial issues like religion, caste, language etc. The job of citizen to keep politicians focused on real issues is a never ending job and we all have to do this duty on a daily basis.Doing so, we the youth of India can remain politically involved without being part of the Parliament.
How can we engage more people in the democratic process?
As a parent of 2 teenage daughters, I hear the frustration they share with "rigged class elections, popularity vs. content, etc." within their own peer elections. I worry that our youth is missing the truth and honor of "personal integrity" and need to learn democratic integrity first from their parents and then from public role models such as teachers, community leaders and elected officials. The democratic process should begin in the home with active parenting; not passive or dictactorship styles. Active parenting provides a forum to share and to hear ideas, solutions, praise, criticism, etc. as well as an understanding that one's ideas should always be heard, considered and respected, but not necessarily always taken. This foundation then naturally expands into school where teachers may mirror this type of democratic atmoshere. Additionally, I feel more demonstrative practice is needed within the school system in order for our youth to understand the democratic process on a personalized local level. Washington is far away; OUR community is right in front of us. One solution may be to link community leaders with schools and to openly invite ideas, internship-for-a-day programs or other activities that marry "the process" with a reality that children understand. If the democratic process is understood and actively demonstrated locally then a national understanding is more easily comprehended. Of course all ages need to be engaged with this process. If we educate and engage at a younger age, it is a natural concequence that the democratic process will continue well into young adulthood and beyond. The age of 18 gives our youth the right to vote and to be a legal adult; if their upbringing engaged the democratic process, then our Leaders-of-Tomorrow will continue and expand the democratic process.
How do our attitudes influence social interaction?
When you possess a certain attitude , it can influence the tone of your voice and the way in which you speak as well as your overall social behavior when interacting with others. Even if you carefully monitor the things you say during social interactions, your attitude will reflect in your tone whether you are aware of it or not. This is quick way for others to misperceive your personality during social interactions. Attitude can also affect your non-verbal communications, such as hand gestures and facial cues. This is an important aspect of social behavior and social interactions and many people are unaware of how easily their attitude can influence other people’s perceptions of their personality, regardless of how they try to mask it. Having a negative attitude will affect aspects such as posture, hand movements and facial expressions during social interactions, and cause others to instantly view your personality in a negative manner. It is a natural part of social behavior ; if you give off signs of being unfriendly or unwelcoming , people are less likely to be open to you. However , if you possess a positive attitude , you will notice you have better posture, a more pleasant expression on your face when not actively engaged in social interactions, and that your personality will come off as more open and meaningful.