There are many who have written off our nation's youth as disconnected, uninterested and uncommitted.  This pessimistic assessment is easily refuted by the high turn-out of young college students to support the candidate of their choice in this year's presidential primaries.  But if we were to look globally, we would recognize that   young people, essentially children, are being recruited and manipulated to enlist in battles that they are often too young to understand.

Recently, the Afghan ambassador to Washington confided that the Pakistan-based Taliban is recruiting and training both the handicapped and children as young as 4 years old to be suicide bombers.  Imagine, small children strapping on pounds of C-4 explosives and walking into elementary schools or grocery stores to kill and maim as many as possible.  Such an act clearly takes commitment, but not all commitment is enlightened, thoughtful, or even voluntary.

Recently, a group of grammar school children were intercepted before their plot to murder their teacher could be carried out.  Apparently, without the undue influence of adults, these children were ready to kill to get their way.  Yet it would be untrue to assume that these children were not influenced by adults, since they are all consumers of America's mass media that distorts values and promotes a self-willed lifestyle that condones whatever it takes to have it your way.

When commitment is uninformed, misguided or distorted by the insanity of a narcissistic culture, then such commitment is more dangerous to our future than merely being uninterested.  So if you want to know what may really be shaping the commitment of our youth, just spend time listings to their music, or watching music videos on television, or sitting in their classrooms.  Or better yet, have a conversation with young person and simply ask them what they think about life.  Some of their answers will inspire you, some will disturb you deeply.  But whatever you hear will probably be familiar, as their values are but reflections of the reality we have created for them.

More than likely, they are committed.  The question remains, "Committed to what?"The answer will shape all of our futures.