Why do they do it?

There was a story in one of the recent issues of, “The New Times” regarding misbehavior and inappropriate behavior by some university students. It seems that with good development, some bad things have entered in a small way. It is my observation that in contrast to students anywhere else, students here are much more courteous and well behaved. Well the ones behaving like this would be few rotten fruits in the basket but still become the cause for hurting others and bring a bad name to the student community. All responsible persons in a society need to do some pondering over the fact as to why students indulge in inappropriate behavior and actions? They are future working members of the nation; decision makers whatever may be their field of study. They have great responsibility towards their parents, teachers, society and the country. This should be incentive enough for them to behold the highest code of conduct which unfortunately not all realize. Barring few, majority of the university students are teenagers or barely out of their teens. This is the age which has abundant energy provided by nature. This energy needs to be channelized properly and used creatively for shaping a future life. If we review ancient traditions, we can realize that much emphasis was laid on disciplining youngsters to make them responsible citizens of the society. In ancient India pupils in Gurukuls (akin to boarding schools of today), were made to get up much before sunrise, gather firewood clean the premises and then settle for lessons and extracurricular activities. The purpose was to divert the abundant energy into creative work. I was reading a Mexican story as how there was a tradition to leave children in the forest alone to fend for themselves for 2 weeks, on their 13th birthday. Purpose was to inculcate sense of responsibility in them. In modern education system world over, emphasis is more on making a professional of an individual in a particular field. As the child becomes a teenager and comes to high school or university he is loaded with books to cram, with little time or interest left to do any other worthwhile work. Many parents also do not realize the importance of physical work. They consider that studying all the time is best for their wards to improve grades. Doing anything else would be distracting them from studies. Thus apart from studying, for recreation these students loiter around with friends or spend hours with computers or videos. Few take to active sports also. Fine. But, none of these activities give the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction which a completed chore gives to an individual. Doing small things around also makes them feel thrilled to be responsible. Lacking that feeling of satisfaction or thrill, they take to misconduct in the false belief that it makes people consider them to be smart. Hormonal changes occurring in the body at that age gives the boys a sense of extra physical vigor. To show off that strength some misguided youth try to do mischief and misbehave. Peer pressure is yet another cause for inappropriate behavior by the young. If one of them does something mischievous, others do not want to lag behind. Sometimes under peer pressure they take up drinking and other addictions which they cannot handle. Under influence of intoxicating substances they may do mischief. The macho hero in movies indulging in unacceptable and inappropriate behavior becomes a wrong source of inspiration for the gullible young. Irrespective of the cause/causes of misbehavior it is the duty of all concerned in the society to correct the misguided youth. After all, they are future workers of the nation and next generation will emulate them. First and foremost it is essential to keep them occupied both physically and mentally. An idle mind is devil’s workshop has been aptly said. If they can be put to vigorous physical activity like for military/police cadets it is beneficial. Students should be encouraged to read good literature in their free time, a habit which needs to be promoted. Good books help to refresh and stimulate the mind positively. Classics and biographies of great men can inspire youngsters and make them understand difference between right and wrong. Counseling can be done by an elder who is close to the boys, regarding importance of good discipline and behavior in life. If in spite of all that, there is a stubborn delinquent youth appropriate punishment is needed to correct him and show others to beware. rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk