KidSpirit Youth Voices | Blog | Spirituality & Practice

Posted by KidSpirit Online on May 22, 2020

By Kavya Shah for KidSpirit's Fear and Anxiety issue.

When you stand before what you are most afraid of, chills run down your spine, your teeth chatter, your knees shake, you get goose-bumps, and your pulse quickens. This is essentially your body’s way of acknowledging the presence of fear.

When this happens, your body has one of two instincts, fight or flight. It is our community and tradition that teach us how to react in the face of peril, by facing our fears or by running away. If you have been taught from an early age how to handle stressful situations, you will be able to perform better under pressure once you are older. Therefore, experiences, friends, family, and faith can help us respond to stressful situations and reduce our chances of feeling apprehensive.

People are unique, so how they react to stressful situations differs . . .

Mom

Posted by KidSpirit Online on May 7, 2020

Artwork by Ranjita Lama.
Poem by Krish Gurung for KidSpirit's Society and the Individual issue.

My mom is my heart
She is the everything of my life.

A human who gave me birth . . .

Should We Serve Nature or Should Nature Serve Us?

Posted by KidSpirit Online on April 22, 2020

By Fizza Raza for KidSpirit's Nature issue.

The earliest records of history show that nature, in all its shapes and forms, has served humanity. From rocks used as hunting tools to fruit used as sustenance, humankind has always looked to nature for survival.

This is not a dependency confined to ancient times; it seeps into our everyday lives today, too. Industries, households, and entire societies are powered solely on what nature offers us, be it water, coal, electricity, or energy in any form. Upon closer inspection, this seems rather odd. Human beings are, above all, characterized as fiercely independent and progressive: in fact, as the most intelligent species to colonize the planet. How is it then that humanity, this remarkable species, depends entirely on nature for its survival? Perhaps an even greater cause for indignation — how is it that we are destroying the very thing responsible for our survival and continued progression? Whether or not humans have a “right” to exploit nature, our survival depends on its survival. As the only species capable of saving the environment, we must now work to serve its interests in more ways.

Do we, as a species, deserve nature? . . .

To Each Their Own Journey

Posted by KidSpirit Online on April 10, 2020

By Rajvi Khanjan for KidSpirit's Fulfillment Issue

"A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms."
— Zen proverb

I remember the first day of ballet very clearly, the nervousness bubbling up inside of me, but a sense of excitement, too. I remember wondering what it would feel like to dance so gracefully, as if on clouds.

As soon as I stepped into the class, though, all excitement dissolved. The scene in front of me was not at all what I was hoping for: 4-year-olds, all of them shorter than me by at least a head. I felt ridiculous.

We began the class with splits.. . .

Stardust

Posted by KidSpirit Online on March 20, 2020

By Jada Rivera for KidSpirit's Reality and Perception issue.

The shadow-dipped universe stares at me
Its million glowing eyes never losing mine
It knows my mind
It knows my soul
We feel the pain

The sugar-spinned galaxy . . .

The Missing “E” in Human

Posted by KidSpirit Online on March 10, 2020

By Adya Sarin for KidSpirit's Education Issue.

It’s important to be humane and not simply a human. The only difference (literally) is the “e,” and that missing “e” is empathy.

Empathy is something that we lack in today’s world. People aren’t ready to notice everyone around them, and often forget to help somebody in need. At our school, we try to break this problem that has now become a norm. We believe that everyone is a citizen leader and will leave the school to be a good person, not in the world but for the world. The process that embeds this spirit in us is known as citizenship.

From doing seva (service) for the environment around us . . .

Submission for Salvation

Posted by KidSpirit Online on February 25, 2020

By Fizza Raza for KidSpirit's Fulfillment Issue

In the heart, there is a sense of loneliness,
there is fear and anxiety,
there is regret,
there is a sense of longing,
all of which can only be removed by complete submission to the will of Allah.
— Imam Ibn al-Qayyim

These are the words of a contemporary Islamic philosopher . . .

Is Anxiety a Way of Life for Our Generation?

Posted by KidSpirit Online on February 12, 2020

By Uday Schultz for KidSpirit's Fear and Anxiety Issue.

We are the generation of stress. Generation Z, the Post-Millenials, Gen Tech, the young people of today — we are, more than seemingly ever before, dissatisfied and worried by our realities.

Since a low in 2007, the 15-24 cohort suicide rate has risen by almost 50 percent. This finding fits with a generation which reports poor mental health as the state of the majority, symptoms of anxiety to be almost universally present, and mass violence a major concern. Our generation was to grow up empowered by technology and a changing, globalizing society, but that picture has darkened; we are destroying ourselves with our minds.

Every generation has faced stress. . . .

My Multicultural Upbringing

Posted by KidSpirit Online on January 20, 2020

By Emilija Krysén for KidSpirit's Education issue.

Our cultural upbringing shapes the narratives we tell and greatly influences our views of the world.

Growing up as a third culture kid, I often struggled with this part of my identity. A third culture kid is someone who has never lived in the places that they come from. For context, my mother comes from Lithuania and my father comes from Sweden. We lived in Russia for seven and a half years before moving to Switzerland, where we have resided since.

The countries I’m from and the places I’ve lived . . .

Tell Me Your World: Why Are Humans Drawn to Stories?

Posted by KidSpirit Online on December 22, 2019

By Abraham Weitzman for Kidspirit's Storytelling and Narative Issue.

I have one grandparent, my Papa Dan. He tells my family stories all the time.

Most of his stories come from his decades of working construction in New York City. He worked on bridges and in tunnels. He worked on schools and hospitals. He put the lights on top of the Citicorp building. My Papa worked everywhere. He tells us about these experiences because the stories are entertaining. They also teach us about the kind of person he is, and the kind of people we should be.

Stories connect us with family history. . . .

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About This Blog

Young people are brimming with vision and prophetic wisdom. This blog features 11- to 17-year-olds in deep and often surprising explorations of spiritual life. Their original writing and artwork was first published in KidSpirit, the sole spiritual magazine by and for global youth. Their words call us to approach eternal questions with wonder. More

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