Where do we start?
As a young person in India today, there are plenty of social issues I could think of that we need to address, most of which stem from the fact that we grasp onto our culture instead of embracing the change that comes with the passage of time. There are plenty of categories of problems to pick and choose from, starting from the negative stigma still surrounding plenty of topics that should no longer be considered taboo- like LGBTQ, divorce, adoption or living as a nuclear family, etc. There are other problems as well- such as the lackings in todays education system, the failures of democracy in India, the classism that prevails, etc.
To choose one problem that i think needs to be addressed immediately is difficult because i dont mean to prioritize any social issues over others- but if i were to be put on the spot i think the education system is what needs to be focused on. Focus on giving children the space to access a safe environment that doesnt shut down healthy curiosity or accidentally instill any kind of hatred or exclusive behaviour or mindset.
The youth of today are the adults of tomorrow and they need to be given our attention. Small steps like introducing sex education and destigmatizing topics like LGBTQ could be introduced into the curriculum and this would lead to drastic changes in the behaviour of an entire generation. There also needs to be an introduction of a more detailed explanation of basic, realistic financing and first aid- because if theres four things any adult needs to know to live in the real world, it would be
- Financial Planning
- First Aid
- Communication Skills
- Law Of the Land
We teach our children the basics of literature, math and science in preparation of the real world but once they graduate high school they realize they don’t know how to navigate their way through life- they need more guidance. Things like setting up their own bank account, voting, doing taxes, buying a house are such normalized milestones for people, but no one really teaches you how to do any of these beforehand.
Of course, there is so much more we could improve in our nation today but I think focusing on the youth is definitely the way to go.
