Drugs and intoxicated new generation
A star cross alarming piece of news carried by almost all the media has provided me food for this column Giving details, news reveals that almost 60% youngsters including the students of all levels have been addicted to various drugs and are found intoxicated in class rooms. Thanks to the Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Naqvi, who has taken the SOS notice of the above news. Let us peep into the background which has generated this habit into youngsters. In my estimation and investigation, the parents have totally failed to make their children into full human beings. Parenting is not an easy job. Parents are awfully busy with their earnings to cherish a luxurious and comfortable worldly life for themselves and for their children, they did not give motivation for spiritual or ethical life setup with the result the children diverted to the materialistic temptations.
The leaders of the country have brought more loss by setting the examples of money minting motives of their lives. The major mishap in this aspect is that our society has divorced faith and its principles from their lives. Plurism, tolerance and activism which are the components of our religion have been totally overlooked from our social setup and adopted only the rituals of religion with which our people are historically addicted to them. Parents have not introduced their children with full code of ethics. The other major factors behind the addiction of drugs are that all the electronic media for example TV, Computer and Mobile phones have occupied the children to that extend that they have no time for any type of physical activities or exercise which teaches the children both moral and spiritual code of behaviour. During long hours of physical activities perseverance and endurance provide them positive effects on the minds and physique.
These electronic media have brought another negative effect, they are now unable to differentiate between the fantasy and reality. They watch the concocted stories of fake heroes and use of toy weapons which have developed terrorism among the children. On the other hand when there was a joint family system, the grandparents used to tell them the real stories of their real historical heroes of their real chivalrous heroes which carried real temptation and desired to be like them. Moreover, the grandparents used to show their genuine love and care on them which is genuine human instinct which the children need very much.
Now the children are put in the hands of paid nannies in the baby sitters with the result in a state of this natural deprivation they led themselves to the shelter of intoxication. One thing more stands present behind this epidemic. According to a psychologist, home is the first ever school which gives the normal bringing up to a child. A child learns many habits from its parent’s activities if a father of a child is addicted of some narcotic even the cigarette, the child would adopt it surely. So first of all the parents shall have to amend their negative activities which can spoil the children. The main and major cause of the drugs addiction in the children is our social set- up which has deviated our youngsters from the right path, the discrimination between haves and have nots has snatched peace of mind from the youngsters and to gain so-called peace of mind they went into the fake colourful world of intoxication.
It is noticed that this epidemic hands down generation to generation, state should take the SOS notice of this crisis which has escorted to many youngsters. It should be tackled very vigilantly and alertly. The holder should be legally punished severely and not be spared at any case. The current conditions of the country are very much favourable for the youngsters to be diverted from the drugs. Our Ulema can play a very powerful and positive role in this scenario. They should prepare their sermons based on our faith and delivered them in the prayer congregations. Parents should force their young children to attend the prayer congregations in the mosques. As country is going through a war-like situation and youngsters are very excited and thrilled at this time, they will listen to Ulema very keenly. Ulema can tell them the importance and other related aspects of war (Jihad) in faith. This atmosphere can divert the youngsters to the faith instead of drugs. Ironical enough that Muslims used to ridicule the drugs habits of the non-Muslims and now non-Muslim are making laugh lines on our culture and faith.
—The writer is senior journalist, based in Germany.
