Most elderly persons get upset when youths break away from past traditions that they went through themselves. In most instances, the elderly are not justified to oppose the youths from blindly following past traditions. This is because youths of the 21st century live in a digitized world consisting of smart mobile devices and computers that encourage sharing of information. Through these devices, the world has become a small global village. Youths learn about cultural practices of people from different parts of the world, especially western civilization, through television and social networks such as facebook and twitter. This exposure is a source of encouragement for them to shun old and mediocre traditions and embrace civilized practices.
Take for instance the case of the recent Arab uprisings in the Middle East carried on by the Islamic youths. The ability of the youths to break away from religious and tribal traditions has led to the success of these protests. Their parents strictly followed traditional ideals and religious values such as the call to obey the rulers and the Islamic belief that sinners will burn forever in hell. This encouraged undemocratic leadership and abuse of human rights. The youths have chosen to fight for their rights and dignity by breaking away from tradition.
Despite the traditional Islamic teaching that the most dreaded fear is to burn alive, 24 youths burned themselves alive to encourage the Tunisian uprising that brought to an end twenty-three years of Iron-fisted rule by President Ben Ali. Similar uprisings in Libya and Egypt ousted decades of dictatorial leadership by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and President Hosni Mubarak respectively. Therefore, with the changing global social, political and economic environment the youths are justified to break away from past mediocre traditions. Adults have no right to bar them from doing so.
Works cited
Ghazi, Jalal. “Arab Uprisings: Young People Break with Tradition.” New American Media. 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 June 2012. http://newamericamedia.org/2011/02/arab-uprisings-young-people-break-with-tradition.php
Haj, Samira. Reconfiguring Islamic tradition: reform, rationality, and modernity. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2009. Print
