Children, addiction to intoxicants is one of the biggest pitfalls that the youth of today face. Parents send their children to schools in the hope that they will make it big in life. But children may fall into bad company and become enslaved by bad habits. Instead of becoming a support system to their parents and a pride to the nation, young people destroy themselves and harm others.
In a village, there lived a boy who used to study hard. He had no bad habits and never spent money unnecessarily. If his parents gave him pocket money, he would give the money to poor students so that they could pay their school fees, or he would buy textbooks and school uniforms for them. He was admired by all.
One day, a few classmates forcibly took him to a cinema. On the way back, they started smoking and offered him a cigarette. When he declined, they asked him to try smoking just once. After he had smoked one cigarette, they encouraged him to smoke again. He thought that there was nothing wrong with smoking one or two cigarettes.
On another occasion, at their insistence, he drank some beer. Soon, smoking, drinking, and taking drugs became habitual. He started demanding money from his parents to pay for these habits.
The very boy who reverentially used to touch his parents’ feet every morning before going to school lost all respect for them. He began fighting with them for money. But no matter how much money he received, it was never enough. Eventually, he started stealing.
Once, when he was high on drugs, he attacked a man who died in the scuffle. The boy was convicted and sent to prison. Who had once been the darling of the villagers, teachers, and classmates, became a thief, thug, and a menace to society, and began to be detested.
We have to recognise that the global illicit drug epidemic is even more dangerous than war. In the past, international relations have been focused on mutual cooperation and development for the overall growth and prosperity of the global community.
Unfortunately, today, this has changed into an attitude of, “I need more for me, even at the cost of another.” As a result, wars have broken out all over the world. Large amounts of money are spent on producing weapons of mass destruction.
However, of the millions and billions being spent, if even a small portion could be allocated to training volunteers to monitor illicit drug use and spread awareness about moral values among the youth, this could actually bring peace and stability to society.
More young people should have the strength to serve the world, be filled with selfless love, grow in their lives, and spread the fragrance of love and light. Let love and compassion grow in their hearts. If they awaken at a very young age, it will be a great blessing for the world.