Practise Kindness –
In this essay, we share what we understand about spiritual awakening in younger generations. Many young people, like some of us, instinctively feel God’s presence working through various traditions. They sense that beneath the diversity of the world’s religions lies a shared reality, and they believe that each tradition, with its own path and language for the divine, enriches and complements the others rather than contradicting them. It’s also true that many young people no longer see themselves as belonging to a specific religious tradition. When churches, synagogues, or mosques hear this, there’s often a sense of alarm—as if the sacred itself is being abandoned.
Beyond Institutional Religion
But from where we stand, that’s not quite what’s happening. Young people aren’t necessarily turning away from God; rather, many feel that religious institutions have drifted from what feels real and alive. They see organisations preoccupied with money, influence, survival, or rigid belief systems, and they struggle to find in them meaningful guidance for the pressing questions of our time. Recognising that gap takes honesty and courage. For that reason, we don’t view the rise of a generation dedicated to living the truth but not affiliated with organised religion as a loss of faith. It is the beginning of a different, perhaps deeper, kind of universal awakening. Many young people demonstrate deep dedication to their spiritual lives—sometimes they devote more time to prayer, meditation, reflection, or service than those who attend church regularly.
Living the Message
We’ve witnessed this in real, face-to-face conversations with young people. Recently, a young musician visited our studio and shared something that has stayed with us. Sitting across from us, she spoke simply and without hesitation: she follows the teachings of Jesus, but she doesn’t consider herself religious and doesn’t go to church. For her, it isn’t about belonging to an institution—it’s about living the message. She tries, as she put it:
“to practise kindness, to choose compassion, to stay non-violent in my words and actions, and to be of service wherever I can.”
What matters most to her is not the label, but the way she lives each day.
A Deep Spiritual Hunger
The reality isn’t a lack of faith or sincerity, but quite the opposite. There’s a real spiritual hunger there, and an honest desire to shape their lives around what they truly believe and value. Many of these young people aren’t okay with just accepting a faith handed down. They want to dig into the big questions on their own. They’re determined to figure out, through their own experience, what actually changes a person from the inside and helps build a kinder, fairer world.
The Sacred Changing Shape
In the end, what we’re seeing in younger generations isn’t the sacred fading away—it’s changing shape and growing in a new direction. By moving outside the usual institutional walls, so many are finding a connection to the divine that’s truly their own: something real and alive, built on personal experiences, openness to all kinds of spiritual paths, and a genuine dedication to justice and compassion.
