Awaken the Question

A pilot study of the issue of a good life among young people

Abstract

In general, religion means a life of faith in the perspective of a good life. But apart from vague images such as heaven or the kingdom of God, it is still an open question what a good life is supposed to be. It should be perfect, but how does one define perfection in life? We cannot prescribe this for young people and we should not. It is a question that needs to be awakened in their hearts, if only by our listening to how they respond to it. In the process of responding to the question, they may grow in their responsibility towards the good life. In the master course Youth Culture and Spirituality at the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology, we invited the students to pose the question to youngsters in their school: “What is the kingdom of God to you?” or “What is the good life to you?” The youngsters’ answers resulted in interviews and letters, in which general ideals – a job, a family, a house – were gradually filled in with personal experiences. We were particularly interested in how the youngsters discovered and developed their stories. A narrative analysis of their stories shows that they feel responsible for the good life, even if it consists simply in a claim to receive: “one should be able to enjoy all the beautiful things.” They also experience that talking about the good life is already a form of participating in it. We may conclude that awakening the question of the good life is already an introduction into it.