The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job

Hear the thunderous wisdom of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the people’s president and a visionary of India, who declared: “The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers.” These words are not mere advice, but a summons to transformation. For in every nation, the youth are the spring of life, the well from which the future flows. Yet if this spring is dammed by dependency, if the young merely wait to be employed rather than rising to create, then the nation becomes stagnant. Kalam’s words remind us that the destiny of a people lies in empowering the young not only to dream, but to build, not only to hope, but to provide hope for others.

The ancients knew this truth, though they spoke it in other tongues. In the time of Rome, the great statesman Cato the Elder urged that the rising generation must learn not just to follow but to lead, not just to inherit but to create anew. For the strength of the Republic was not in those who consumed its fruits, but in those who planted fresh orchards. So too does Kalam call upon the modern youth to rise beyond the old pattern of waiting for opportunities, and instead to forge them, like smiths hammering red-hot iron into tools of destiny.

Consider the example of Henry Ford, a man born not into wealth but into simplicity. He was not content to remain a mere worker on another’s machine. Instead, with vision and perseverance, he built the automobile empire that transformed the very fabric of society. In doing so, he did not merely create a life for himself; he created livelihoods for thousands, shaping industries, towns, and the rhythm of modern life. Ford was once a job seeker, but he became a job generator, and through him, countless families found sustenance.

The meaning of Kalam’s words is both economic and spiritual. To be a job seeker alone is to live with dependence, to be at the mercy of others’ approval and resources. To be a job generator is to step into the role of a creator, a giver of opportunities, a sustainer of communities. This transformation requires courage, education, innovation, and the willingness to risk failure for the sake of something greater. It demands that the youth awaken their creative powers, for they are the true builders of tomorrow’s temples of prosperity.

Yet the task is not solely for the youth themselves. Kalam speaks also to the elders, the leaders, the guardians of nations: they must enable the young. A seed cannot grow in barren soil; it must be nourished with water, sunlight, and care. In the same way, the young must be given education not only in theory but in practice, systems that reward innovation, and societies that honor those who dare to build. Without this enabling, even the brightest flame may flicker and die in the winds of neglect.

The lesson for us, then, is clear. If you are young, do not confine your ambition to seeking what is already made—strive to create what has never been. Train your mind in knowledge, train your hands in skill, and train your heart in courage. If you are an elder, a teacher, or a leader, dedicate yourself to lifting the next generation, for their strength will become the fortress of your nation’s future. Together, break the chain of dependency, and forge a culture where creativity and enterprise shine brighter than the hunger for mere employment.

Practical wisdom follows: let every youth begin by asking, “What can I give?” rather than “What can I get?” Start small if you must—create a service, share a craft, employ even one other person. For from small sparks arise great fires. And let leaders build schools of innovation, incubators of ideas, and networks of support, so that every young soul who dares to dream may also dare to build.

Thus, Kalam’s words stand as a heroic commandment for our age. “The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers.” In these words lies the path to liberation from poverty, to dignity for nations, and to the unleashing of human potential. Let us rise to this call, that the generations yet unborn may look back upon us and say: They were the ones who chose to create, not merely to consume; they were the ones who built the future. Be a generator of hope, and you shall light the world.