There is no doubt that today’s youth has gone astray from the ideals that matter: faith, hope, and love. Pope John Paul II stirred up those ideals in our youth on World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada, in 2002. He emitted a clear, strong message to the youth: “The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of brotherhood and human solidarity. It is a world which needs to be touched and healed by the beauty and richness of God’s love.” True, this quote applies to every place on Earth. But, the most crucial places to focus on installing these qualities are the United States’ schools. If these passionate words are lived out accordingly, it will improve our youth through their schools by demolishing the cruel social hierarchy that exists in almost every school, granting students the feeling of acceptance, and enhancing students’ focus on their education. Our youth should be helping each other become better; installing that sense of brotherhood that Pope John Paul II wanted, not pushing each other down to get to the top.
First and foremost, living out Pope John Paul II’s words will bring down the “ladder of popularity” that pains countless teens nationwide. We must bring forth equality and therefore peace to people everywhere. Teens must stop criticizing their peers’ defects and work on improving themselves. They must look at each other not as types of people but as individual beings worthy of love no matter what. If we can accomplish this, examples of our solidarity will pass onto next generations, making true social equality a norm in schools.
Second, we can bring forth a universal feeling of acceptance in schools through the strong words of Pope John Paul II. Because of the social hierarchy in schools, thousands of children every year are bullied for who others think they are and give up, committing suicide. They, and countless others, suffer from the horrible feeling of denial from their peers. If we do what we can to stop this bullying that goes on: living the Beatitudes, being nice to those who mean to do us harm, and approaching lonely people, we will truly create the feeling of brotherhood. Everybody will know what it is like to be loved. There will be no more fear of looking lame, insecureness about the people around us, or the depression that comes with loneliness. Warm smiles and welcoming wishes everywhere. This is the beautiful meaning of love the Pope John Paul II intended for us to have.
Lastly, because of the actions inspired by the words of Pope John Paul II, teachers will have a greater respect for students. Many of the teachers in public school systems think lowly of most of their students; they think of them like sheep that must be herded. This is because of the constant fight students have among themselves for popularity. Once that war of hate is replaced with a pact of love, teachers will see students constantly working at their best. Because there would be no need to dedicate so much time to “being cool,” students can focus more on their education and their character. Everyone’s grades would improve and teachers would treat us as the loving, responsible, men and women that we would be. This would result in a total feeling of friendship among absolutely everybody in a school.
This universal friendship is exactly what Pope John Paul II envisioned when he spoke his call to action. Although we are not there yet, by living out his words we will get there and make a better Earth. But more specifically, we will make better schools and a better generation. This picture of total love and happiness is what we should all strive for; together, united as a global community of believers, we will get there.
