• 2 -

B. Youth - Concept and Inquiries

What is youth? They always say that these are people who are of a certain age. Here is Aristotle's* mark, and possibly also a negative mark: since they have not yet reached the age of thirty, we thus confine them to the category of youth. When you complete thirty years, you lose this title. I believe that this is not how we understand the concept of "youth." It is not possible to say that spring is a "summer that has not yet matured." Spring is a special state in nature, which has special functions and a special charm of its own. It is very likely that this also applies to youth. There are people who remain young all their days, and there are people who were never even born young. Youth—this is, without any doubt, a spiritual quality.

The youth are those who have the talent to feel what is the thing that needs to be realized. All those who feel what that thing is, and that it is possible to realize it even though it seems impossible to others—belong to the youth.

---

If we want to know if someone is young, ask them if they feel human distress in their heart.

---

The young man is youth, the young class, it must always feel that what the "village-head" designates as an impossible thing, is possible, when the bell of human distress calls, for this bell rings in the hearts of those who belong to the youth.