Purposeful Living for Young Hearts

Friends, you are listening to the youth programme from Radio Voice of Life, and I warmly welcome you to your own programme, which is the Youth Hope programme. I thank you, esteemed listeners, for allowing me to be a guest in your homes, workplaces, and shops. As usual, I will introduce myself. I am Faiz.

In this part of the programme, we will listen to the first section of the show, and then we will return to continue the programme. Ahmad! Where have you been from morning until now? Why are you coming so late? Can you hear how much noise there is? Ah! My dear Nargis. I was out with the kids. We were chatting together. Our hearts get heavy if we stay outside, Ahmad. We understand that sometimes a person needs to get out of the house.

But these outings without a purpose have no benefit when you come home; they have a negative consequence, Ahmad. Just look at how you waste your days. No studying, no work, no skills. You are just wandering around, my dear Nargis; we are young. This is our time in life. We should not tie ourselves down.

Ahmad, life means having a goal. It means you move forward on your path. It's not just about wandering aimlessly. These activities have no good future, my dear. What you are doing harms your own mind and is very bad for our future as well.

You worry me a lot, Ahmad. How does our future get ruined? I just say I’ve been enjoying my time. I can’t harm anyone, nor am I doing anything wrong. That’s how it starts, Ahmad. But gradually, these actions can pull you away from your life’s path. When do you waste your time today? Tomorrow, will you lose your motivation? After that, you won’t even realise when you lost hope in yourself or when your life began to fall apart.

Ahmad dear, look, God says in the Holy Book that we hear there are some who are lazy among you. They do not work but are always busy interfering in others' affairs. Nargis, maybe you are right. I had never thought about how valuable time is. Ahmad dear, it is indeed very valuable.

Let’s take our group to the library. Let's sit together and work on our goals. Life doesn’t find meaning only in entertainment. We must build our life and future. Alright, definitely, we will go to the library together.

Ahmad, my dear, see that today our group is clean. We will chat together. How nice is that, right? My dear, you have truly helped us a lot these past few days. I have been to the library a few times, studied a little, and even signed up for an online course.

Now I understand how much time we have wasted in society. Well done, my dear, you have done a great job. Rest assured that God is also pleased with your efforts. The Lord says to be vigilant because you do not know when the master of the house will come—whether at night or midnight, at the crowing of the rooster or in the morning.

I truly feel calmer and more composed now. My old friends are still there. But I don’t want to waste my time with them again. This is exactly the difference between someone who is responsible and someone who thinks about their goals and someone who behaves like this shows the potential for growth.

This is a new beginning, brother Ahmad. I want to work for our future. Perhaps I can’t change everything at once. But every day, I take a small step, my dear Nargis. And all those small steps build the future. May God guide us all, Ahmad dear.

Thank you, my dear. I thank God that I have you. I am truly grateful to God that I have a woman like you. I believe that aimless wandering only leads to wasting time, and there is no good in it.

Dear listeners and respected young people, we warmly welcome you to this part of the programme. We are very happy to once again be at your service with another good programme. Dear young people, the topic of our programme this time is the effects of aimless wandering for youth, a topic that may seem simple but can either build or ruin a young person's future.

Dear listeners, as always, we have our dear colleague Fais in the programme. Fais, hello, and welcome. Yes, Nargis, thank you for this topic; it is indeed very important. The effects of aimless wandering for youth, if we put it another way, could be called wasted time and wandering without purpose. Today, we see that this topic is very significant. Our youth often spend their time without a purpose. Nargis, thank you for bringing up this important and sensitive topic that needs to be highlighted at this time.

Yes, our respected listeners, we understand that youth is the best season of our lives, the best time to learn something and build our future, to develop our talents. But when a young person spends their hours aimlessly, what happens? They lose time, their goals disappear, and they cannot have significant growth. Faiz, in your opinion, what does aimless wandering mean? And when a young person spends their time without purpose, what is the first sign that shows they have lost track of their life?

Nargis, thank you for the question you asked; it is a very important one. You mentioned that if a young person wastes their time on aimless wandering, what does that mean? Let’s first share a few scientific and research topics with you, dear listeners. Wasting time or aimless wandering is one of the main challenges facing youth these days, not just a local issue but a global one. We know what young people do with their time; they engage in aimless activities, or they find themselves caught up in entertainment.

People waste time, and aimless wandering becomes a significant topic from a scientific perspective. Our brains are sensitive to stimulation. It’s important to note that when we wander without purpose, we get lost in distractions, and we can even become lazy. Without purpose, we can end up in a state of mental stagnation. We see that when we engage in aimless activities, the pleasure derived from meaningful activities like studying, working, or spending time with family diminishes.

Young people may find less enjoyment in meaningful activities because the things they do without purpose have dulled their sense of enjoyment. When we see people engaging in immediate and cheap pleasures, we realise this phenomenon leads to mental fatigue and a significant decline in motivation. We can observe that every hour spent aimlessly is essentially an expense that detracts from future investments. Youth is a long period; you may be 20 or 25 years old, but if we consider youth from the age of 12 to 30, or 25, you should be enjoying this time.

You must use this golden period wisely, learn skills, and strive to find good friends. Investing in your future is crucial. If someone invests in their future before the age of 30, they are likely to prosper from all perspectives—knowledge, friendships, and financial stability. If you do not do so before 30, you may end up very poor after that. Whatever you do, if you think about a healthy person who starts exercising at 15, they will be investing in their future. A person who has good friends is wealthy in terms of relationships.

If you start investing from the age of 15, you will see the benefits in your life. Nargis, another important point is the 80/20 rule; 20% of your time can be spent resting or sleeping. However, if you waste that 20% on aimless activities, you are undermining your personal development and future.

It’s crucial to set goals for your aimless wandering. If we go out, we should have a purpose, such as visiting a specific friend. There is a saying in Proverbs 33 that says, “Do not be deceived; bad company corrupts good character.”

This means that when a young person spends more time with aimless groups, gradually they will be influenced by those around them. Just as when a young person is in a purposeful group, their motivation to study, to grow, and to live a healthy life diminishes.

Dear youth, in this part of the programme, we will listen to a beautiful song together. After the song, we will welcome you back to the continuation of the programme.

The light of the world is Jesus, our King. The way of truth is Jesus, the bread of life; we worship You in Your presence, for You are God. We worship You; You are unique. You are my healer; You are my refuge.

Yes, dear listeners, that was a beautiful song we listened to, and we warmly welcome you back to the continuation of the programme. Dear young people, the title of our programme is a very important one: the effects of aimless wandering for youth. Our dear colleague has shared scientific insights related to this topic and has explained what aimless wandering means. Fais, could you now tell us what the problems and consequences of aimless wandering for a young person might be?

Yes, Nargis, this is a very important question. You mentioned problems and consequences of aimless wandering. Just like you read an important verse from the Holy Book at the beginning of the programme, I would like to take a moment to discuss that topic. You mentioned that in the Holy Book, 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be deceived; bad company corrupts good character." This is a very important point that if we want to protect ourselves from aimless wandering and wasting time, we must be careful of how we spend our time.

The first problem is the loss of time. Wasting time during youth, which is the best season for learning, building a future, and developing talents, means we squander hours that could be spent wisely. Time spent aimlessly is a lost opportunity.

Moreover, the second issue is drifting away from the goal. The distractions of aimless wandering take focus away from the purpose of life, from our studies, and can lead to decreased motivation for learning. We can experience fatigue, boredom, and disorganisation in life. If we are in university or school, our grades may fall, and our confidence may decrease, which jeopardises our future educational and career prospects.

The third problem is that the more time young people spend outside aimlessly, the more they may become acquainted with unhealthy individuals. Nargis, you mentioned a verse from the Holy Book; as you said, "Do not be deceived; bad company corrupts good character." If you continue on this path and choose bad company, it will corrupt your character and lead to distance from family.

We see that young people who spend excessive time outside often have cold relationships with their families. If someone is always out, they miss out on family time, which leads to alienation from loved ones.

The fifth issue is the weakening of our relationship with God. Dear friends and esteemed listeners, time spent aimlessly can create distance between us and God. It is important to ensure that we do not neglect our time for prayer and reading the Holy Book.

Nargis, let’s aim to solve these problems. If we think about the numerous issues arising from aimless wandering, we should also consider solutions to prevent losing time.

The first key point is that we must have goals. Young people, if you have a goal, it means you are aiming at something rather than just wandering aimlessly. The first thing is to set clear goals.

The second point is to create a daily plan. You should write down your tasks each night and prioritise them for the next day. This is what we call a daily plan.

The third point is to choose good friends. There is a saying among us Afghans that says you can tell a person’s character by their friends.

The fourth point is to spend time with family. If we spend our time healthily, family is the best place to do that.

And the sixth point, which is crucial, is to strengthen our relationship with God. A strong faith allows a young person to make decisions based on wisdom rather than emotions. When one is close to God, their heart finds peace, and aimless wandering diminishes because they understand that their time is a divine trust and should be used wisely.

Nargis, thank you. Yes, thank you, dear colleague, for your insights and guidance. Our dear young people, as a result of this programme, we understand that aimless wandering may seem enjoyable in the moment, but it can gradually ruin our future.

Dear listeners, our youth is our treasure, and our time is precious. If we waste today, we will regret it tomorrow. But the good news is that any time we decide, we can change the course of our lives. So let’s learn to have fun, but let’s also have goals. We can go out and explore but not lose ourselves. The balance between fun and responsibility is a sign of our mental maturity.

Dear young people, a successful individual is someone who enjoys life while also building their future, making wise choices today for a brighter tomorrow. Let this be a reminder to you, dear young people, that God has called us to a meaningful life, not to waste our days.

Yes, dear listeners, that was our programme for this time. Until the next programme, may God be with you and keep you safe.