Check Out The Future

by Cindy R. Williams

Flip through the news on TV, or scan the newspaper, and you see nothing but bad news aboug we humans, indluding all the youth in our society. As a reporter, some years ago, we were taught that newsworthy stories were out of the ordinary, the bizare, the unusual, catastrophes, tragedies, etc. . . . So what we are seeing is not every day life.

An example was a sad tragedy where a toddler drowned. The powers that be wanted the camera up close and personal as the reporter asked the mother, "How do you feel knowing you could have prevented the baby from drowning?" They don't care that the mother is going through her worst nightmare, they want to show the anguish, and the heart ache, the deep painful human emotions. This is not news. This is capitalizing on pain, fear and one mother's horror for ratings which means money to the news profession.

Take another local news story. A community park has been the gathering place for many a teen for years. Has there ever been any notice in the news how well behaved these neighborhood kids are. Of course not. Who wants to hear about good kids anyway? The only reason these good kids ended out getting any press was because three highschool football players show up at the park looking for a fight. Their judgment was impaired due to the beers one of the boys father's gave them while trying to teach them his version of being a man. They start hassling the other kids. A fight breaks out. The three highschool drinkers run after breaking one boys collar bone and another boys nose. News? No. What you have here are three football players acting like bullies and an idiot for a father that gave them the beer. This needs attention from the right authorities, not from the media.

Take a good look at the picture above. These are regular teenagers. I know each one of these fine young men, and I am here to tell you that our future is bright. These thirteen year old boys are smart, well mannered, decent and well ajusted kids. They don't drink, smoke, use drugs, hang around in gangs, although they do hang around at my house, eating, swimming, eating, playing basketball together, eating, playing WII competitions on the computer and doing healthy, good activites and eating. This picture was taken two years ago, and most of these boys now have earned their Eagle Scout Award through the Boy Scouts of Amercia.

How about the many nineteen year old young men that leave their jobs, and college to serve as Preachers, sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ all around the world for two years? Do we ever hear about these sacrifices to serve their fellowman? No, of course not. Once again, there is no sensationalism in stories of honor, charity and valor.

There are many, many, fine young people all around us. The news makes it look like teenagers are all hoodlums, in gangs, rude and obnoxious. I have found the opposite to be true. I was at a gas station convenience store, and dropped my keys as I tried to balance the objects in my arms. There were five or six teenagers dressed in black, with crazy hair doos smoking cigarettes and leaning on the car next to me. I looked up at them an smiled sheepishly over my clumsiness, and one of the young men jumped forward to help me. He was very sweet. I remember thinking that some mother somewhere ought to be very proud of her son. I have found that most of the time if I treat teenagers, with respect, then they will be respectful to me.

Yes, we are in good hands for our future.