Peaceful Energy

At a recent conference for improving the bio-region, I met several “young people” who were engaged in this long-term activity.

In the midst of all the teen angst and search for self-definition, meaning and purpose, they have found a calm, peaceful energy within themselves.

One had a natural evolution from the mainstream school culture.  He immersed himself in discovering interesting things on YouTube and let it be known that he wanted to be around Nature.  That led to a job on an herb farm within a few months after graduation.

A young woman who has graduated college with a combination major she designed herself is volunteering in the PeaceNook, a bookstore which also carries Fair Trade products.

Another young woman is contributing to peace through her courage to sit with those considered suicidal and to maintain a place for them within her heart, a truly courageous contribution.

Another young woman describes herself as a “senior parent” of a nine-year-old, compared to the many parents of very young children at the conference.  She raised her daughter in a isolated Nature area and they are now living in a town where she provides Story Time and other activities.

We ran into someone who described herself as a “reader” when she saw my husband and my books on our table.  She prefers books to TV.  We were so delighted to meet her.

I am so comforted by the consistent definition these several young people provided for me for this generation.

Despite the media harassment, I am seeing a different movement happening, a deeper one with meaning and maturity and purpose.

And it started twenty and thirty years ago, when these people were born.

It makes me feel much better about humanity’s future.

© 2015 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com