Teenagers of Hope are Heard | Silence of the Lambs Pt 2

Teenagers of Hope are Heard – Silence of the Lambs Pt 2, by Craig Rogers, co-founder of Abundant Life Academy discussing the notion that teens of hope are teens that are heard.

Teenagers who report to being happy (content, hopeful, optimistic about their future) are the same teens who claim that they are generally “heard”, understood, and valued for their expressed message (personal message of their heart, where it be written, sung, or acted out on a stage).  Meaning, those who feel that others “hear” them (connect, respect, and share similarities) report that they also live empowered lives and believe they have something valid to contribute to the world around them.  In other words, these teenagers claim that their lives have hope have meaning, and their message has positively impacted the world around them.  They have a sense of fulfillment and a sense of being appreciated.  In short, these teens feel valued, counted, and respected.

To be human is to communicate (express) what’s in your heart.  We are all made with a unique, but important message of hope and destiny. Teenagers must find a way to express themselves, or they may experience the deep anguish of rejection, oppression, being trapped, and misunderstood (meaningless, unimportant, rejected).  Being rejected, abandoned, and discarded is the biggest fear one could have.  Those who find an effective way to share their heart with the world are the very teenagers who claim to have the greatest level of happiness (hope, contentment, fulfillment, empowerment, purpose, connectedness, etc.) and describe their lives as having substantial meaning and purpose.

For teenagers to have found a way to communicate the depth that is in their heart is to have found a way to empathize with others, to have found a way to effectively communicate inner most feelings (depth), and most importantly a way to be heard by many.  It draws a simple conclusion… if you want happiness you MUST be able to communicate, convey, converse, connect… and be heard.  More importantly, to be able to convey and communicate emotions, to be emotionally literate, to be able to navigate emotions through words, and to describe empathy, and to know how to articulate fear (fear of rejection, abandonment, being a disappointment) is to be emotionally intelligent (EQ).  Are we teaching teens to speak up, to speak out, or are we teaching them to shut up, and to shutdown?  In reality, we are teaching them to perform, but not from the heart, but from expectations (parents, teachers, coaches, society).  So when they create a sub-culture made up of other teens they create a language and a culture all to their own.  It is there that they speak up, and express themselves.  Unfortunately, all to often its the blind leading the blind.

The people who describe themselves as being “depressed”, “anxious”, “uncertain”, “unworthy”, “dismissed”, “disconnected”, and “lost” in anguish and despair are the very same people who claim that they are not heard, are not understood, and unable to convey their life experience or connect with others via empathy. Communication, and the ability to communicate emotions, is hard work and takes great effort; emotional literacy skills are developed over time through practice and discipline. Very few people get lucky and “stumble” upon effective ways to express themselves in meaningful ways.  It just is not something that is “lucky”, or “natural” for most people.  Its difficult and it takes effort, trial and error, and making a lot of mistakes along the way.  You need a Life Coach!

Some people do have the talents and gifts to convey and communicate in meaningful ways, nor do the find other platforms of communication, such as; music, writing, dance, athletics, or some other manner that allows the very most inner self to come out “on stage” to be seen and appreciated. But what about the others?  What happens to a person who never finds a way to be respected, received, or plugged in – unable to express their unique personage?  I can tell you this, “It’s not good!”

All to often, troubled teens are really just strong people of tremendous worth and potential who have not found a way to be “heard”. They therefore feel worthless, unable, stifled, dismissed, discarded, and unimportant. They are not able to feel connected, and don’t feel the sense of appreciation for their personal message, no sense of respect, and a complete failure to share their message with the world.  They once had a special revelation that was important, but didn’t come forth.  Perhaps covered up, dulled, or dumbed down due to failure to grow emotionally or intellectually (direct result of drug and alcohol abuse, or sexually promiscuity, or other forms of self-defeating behavior).

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