Given the recent happenings in the Kenyan political landscape one word that has come up a lot among those clamoring for their voices to be heard has been ‘occupy.’
While the entire nation looked on as young people tried to occupy various government installments and the government took various measures to secure the areas, I could not help but ask myself, what are the things that occupy the minds of our youth and what measures do we take to protect them? As we go out about our lives trying to occupy different areas of interest, what occupies us?
Mark 8:36 says “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” While Gen Z are hailed as the heroes for making a bold and brave stand, in introspect they are the most vulnerable and exposed generation mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. While the government may have institutions such as the police and military that exist to protect it against hostile occupation the social fabric that is meant to protect our youth’s minds and inner being against hostile occupation lies in tatters leaving them naked and exposed.
The family that is supposed to be the basic unit of a society, the first sense of identity and protection for a child, has mostly been a dysfunctional or broken institution for today’s youth. Parents have been so overtaken by the worries and struggles of this life that they have no time to be in their children’s lives.
The church institution that is meant to nurture them spiritually has become a den of hypocrisy and greed. Schools that are meant to education the generations of tomorrow have become just another profit-making venture doing the bare minimum to justify maximum gain.
The media that is meant to inform has become a tool of propaganda. Not even children’s cartoons are spared from a message trying to coerce them towards a certain direction. The marriage institution has been reduced an obsolete meaningless contract that is viewed as little more than a business contract with sexual obligations.
It is time for us to reflect as a society and ask ourselves whether we are losing ourselves in vain pursuits of this world. It is not enough that we put on a brave fight, but we should ask ourselves what are we fighting for, and to what end? If we have not examined what is occupying our people as they grow up in our society then what exactly are we producing to occupy society? For lest you examine the values and principles of what occupies something then what you thought was a gift may end up being a trojan horse.
We need to rethink and rebuild the institutions that guard our social fabric in today’s world, for nature abhors a vacuum and if we leave a vacuum in our youth’s mental and emotional process then it shall surely be filled by other unknown elements.
Have an introspective day, won’t you?
