Musings on Section 2

We pray for young people who are unhappy.

Young people who are insecure because their parents argue.

Young people we feel left out in a crowd.

Young people who are bullied, teased and pushed to the edge of the group.

However much we would wish to tell ourselves that it doesn’t matter what other people think of us and that the only thing that matters is how we feel about ourselves I’m sure no-one would deny that there is something very wonderful about being among people who love and value us for who we are – people with whom we feel we fit in. Faced with this, party invitations, in-jokes and that all-important ‘best friend’ status very often become the key to happiness and that feeling that life is worthwhile.

While it is tempting to don a (rather fetching) pair of rose tinted glasses and imagine that all young people are fortunate enough to have such a positive relationships with their peers it cannot be denied that there are those who feel marginalised, left out and alone even in a room full of people. Young people who are judged by others as being ‘uncool’, who don’t conform to the norm and who don’t seem to fit in anywhere or with anyone. At a time in their lives when they should be learning to understand and appreciate their own uniqueness some of these young people may find themselves fighting desperately to become something they are not simply in order to be more acceptable to others.