Sometimes, apart from attracting attention towards a particular product, advertisements could be useful in understanding the contemporary social attitudes. When one starts thinking about the phase of life called the youth and the advertisements, two clips come to one’s mind. The first one is about an old man climbing stairs of a building without showing signs of fatigue, and faster than the age-wise younger people. The young ones just wonder, “Is he 60-year-old or 60-year-young!” But, that is an old commercial. These days, another advertisement is being screened -- of a young man ‘doing nothing’ and people around thanking him for it owing to a coincidence of someone getting saved because of his staying idle. The difference of message in these two advertisements tells a lot. The first gives a positive message that with proper exercise, diet, and digestive syrup, even an old man can have stamina like a young one. The second one aims at shaping negative mindset of youngsters -- of doing nothing. The first one is all about being active irrespective of age so that mere age does not define youthfulness.

 

The second one is about finding convenience and staying immersed in own world instead of helping others. Of course, others may have different interpretations to their liking. But, the subject of this writing is not to discuss different interpretations. Rather, it is to discuss what constitutes youthfulness. Youthfulness is a virtue not associated necessarily with age. It is about bubbling with enthusiasm, having strength and stamina, having ability to digest food and attitudes, staying active to do justice to own aspirations, remaining alert to surroundings and realities of time, being a busy bee to convert dreams into reality, and possessing never-say-die attitude to translate one’s passion into achievement. Youthfulness has lilt of creativity, not the silt of inactivity. Someone lazy may have own justifications for doing only half of these. Their personality may have bubbles but not the enthusiasm. Muscular strength may be there but without stamina. They may be gulping food but have no ability to digest attitudes.

 

Aspirations may be there without supporting action. Fascination for ambience may be there but no alertness to realities. They may enjoy long hours of sleep to see dreams but make no efforts to turn those into reality. There may be passionate verbosity but no focus to achieve something. Some hobo might busy himself or herself with cellphones and destinations, without any anchor to personality. Someone might oppose everyone and everything just for the heck of emphasising rebelliousness, but without any purpose. Such tribes grow old in their youth owing to thought-obesity or attitudinal burnout. But, not to worry. The world has not reached this far with the inventory of achievements on the strength of ‘old youngs’. Rather, it has progressed with the active participation and meaningful contribution of youthful people irrespective of age. So, next time, when one talks of youth, remember it is not about age alone. It is all about ‘you’ in ‘youth’! Happy finding that ‘you’... n