In their search for identity and belonging, powerful, greedy, selfish social agents often lead young people astray. Young people look for security, love, acceptance and happiness but if they are not guided and supported by caring adults, they can end up with a superficial experience, a taste of the illusion of love and happiness and begin compromising on their dreams and ambitions. The winning formula is to remain focused and to have the heart, mind and soul at peace with oneself and others. Let us take the case of two young people who lost their lives by taking the wrong road and making the wrong decisions.

James is at the crossroads. He is intelligent, but addicted to drugs and alcohol. He may have a future or soon be dead. His father had left his mother when he was eight. This family breakdown and the arrival of a stepfather were followed by years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and he turned to new friends on the streets. These new friends introduced him to the illusion of happiness - drugs and alcohol, to deal with the pain, the mistrust, loneliness and hurt feelings. He was introduced to the illusion of love and he spent time with another girl, which meant sex and injecting heroin. His smoking, drinking and drug addiction were leading him to the grave. James is not alone in this journey to disillusion and darkness.

Rajdeep was a bright student in his final year of school and suddenly his report card began to show a gradual decline in grades and eventually he began to fail. His friends had introduced him to the thrill of blue films and adult Internet sites. It all began when he blindly obeyed his friends and began to cut class to go to the house of one of his friends. The boys began to watch blue films at home and drink beer when the parents were away for work. He began to loose his focus. His dreams of scoring high marks in the public exams were shattered. He went into depression. He was feeling lonely and bored in his family. He began to express his anger in various ways. He began to frequent Internet browsing centers and frequented theatres that screened adult movies. His relationship with family members and friends began to change. Together with his "friends" he also experienced smoking and drugs. Rajdeep is not alone in this journey towards a dark future.

The stories of James and Rajdeep are not imaginary stories - they are real (only the names have been changed). Those of us who listen to the confession of young people know that these are real problems. There are certain commercial products like pornography (commercialization of something beautiful called sex), drugs, alcohol and tobacco related products, that are tearing apart the very fabric of our social life, especially that of young people. Yet educators and pastors are often ignorant of its impact on young people.

Pornography is a billion dollar business with close ties to organized crime. It has moved from the periphery of society into the mainstream because of the easy availability of new technology (CDs and websites). CDs are slim and easy to carry or hide. It is easy to buy or rent CDs of both soft and hard pornography. The airing of sexually explicit movies and fashion shows on cable TV has also made our youth curious and daring. In the United States adult bookstores outnumber McDonald's restaurants by a margin of at least three to one. The so-called "adult" magazines, explicit pornographic VCDs and DVDs, television programmes, adult movies, audio porn and cyber porn are easily available to young people. According to one study (US Advisory Board for Social concerns), approximately 70 percent of the Pornographic materials end up in the hands of young people and even children.

A long-term exposure to violent or soft pornography could lead to anti-social attitudes and behaviour. Male viewers tend to be more aggressive toward women, less responsive to pain and suffering of rape victims, and they tend to look at women as objects of desire. It also affects the psychological balance of the young person involved. He loses his sense of focus, his concentration power and lives in a state of depression and unhappiness (though there could be a sense of euphoria at the moment of viewing). One study also demonstrated that pornography could diminish a young person's sexual happiness in his future married life. They will be more inclined to put more importance on sex rather than emotional involvement. Arthur Gary Bishop convicted of sexually abusing and killing five young boys said, "If pornographic material would have been unavailable to me in my early life, it is most probable that my sexual activities would not have escalated to the degree they did. I am a homosexual pedophile convicted of murder, and pornography was a determining factor for my downfall."

Our Sacred Scriptures say that God created men and women in His image (Gen. 1:27) as sexual beings. And hence, as something holy and useful. But the sinful nature of human beings has commercialized the sexual act of human beings and made it into a product of be sold. In this sense, pornography attacks the dignity of men and women created in the image of God.

The other commercial product and related habit, educators and teachers have to be extremely cautious about is Drugs and drug addiction. More people are using or abusing drugs today than in any other time in history, and unfortunately many of them are young people. Today more than in the past, a whole industry (Mafia based) produces drugs that are meant to be used outside and in defiance of social conventions for the sole purpose of "having fun", but the main objective is to make money by destroying the lives of innocent young people. Drugs are psychoactive substances that people take to change the way they feel, think or behave. Some of these substances are called drugs, and others, like alcohol and tobacco, are considered dangerous but are not called drugs, but they could be the starting point. Some young people who are into drugs will say: "I want to escape for a while. no one understands me." "We just want to have some fun. It's really no big deal." Or, "I just wanted to see what it was like. I am so bored." Others will point their finger at their peer group, "That's what my friends do. this is the way we enjoy being together." But basically there is a lack of self-acceptance and self-worth: "I hate myself and I don't know what else I can do!"

Like pornography drugs or alcohol can destroy the life of young people. It always begins in a small way. But slowly it leads to physiological and psychological dependence, negative health effects and it could lead to potentially fatal diseases, like AIDS and hepatitis C by sharing needles. Drug abuse affects the way the brain functions and alters its response to the stimuli sent. And above all, drug abuse damages the ability of people to act as free and conscious being, capable of fulfilling their dreams and those of their dear ones. Often to feed one's addiction, they have to steal, lie, cheat, break the law or sell one's body. And finally one is left with shattered dreams and a state of confusion and disillusionment.

Youth are our greatest investments. They are the ministers, singers, doctors, songwriters, and missionaries of tomorrow. We see so many youth lose their future, hopes, and dreams behind the fence. We are responsible. They take this path because we have not been caring, vigilant adults. Then there are those who make money by taking the lives of innocent young people who get caught in this web and often because of the fault and negligence of other people. One way or the other we are responsible. Rather than point the fingers at our young people, we should ask what families, institutions and other social structures are doing to enhance the prospects for young people who are born this new media culture. They need role models, guides, friends, a secure atmosphere, a meaning or purpose in life, good education, and job opportunities. They also need advocacy - they need adults who will fight for their rights against the drug and pornography mafia. The majority of youth are well adjusted and they do not develop self-destructive patterns of behaviour. We need to concentrate on building strengths in all our youth activities and create positive conditions for our young people to grow and offset the risk factors in their lives.

Fr. Joe Andrew sdb