fascinating post over on ypulse the other day, culled from an mtv sticky report called youthtopia (a study of hopes and dreams). the study describes itself this way: “In the first-ever effort to understand the values, hopes and dreams of young people in Europe, MTV asked over 7,000 youths to imagine their ideal world and to consider brands as people and whether those ‘people’ would be welcome in their world –‘Youthtopia’.”

one aspect of the study (conducted among european youth) involved asking 100 european youth to re-write the 10 commandments to reflect their values. the ypulse author rightly suggests: The results paint more than a flattering self-portrait of this generation as an aspirational model for society — one that tellingly promotes accountability, positivity and passion above all else.

here they are:

The Ten Commandments of Youth

1. Have faith in yourself.
2. Respect your parents.
3. Be honest.
4. Take responsibility for your own life.
5. Live life to the fullest and be passionate.
6. Keep your promises.
7. Work hard to succeed but not to the detriment of others.
8. Be tolerant of others’ differences.
9. Be happy and optimistic, even in adversity.
10. Create, don’t destroy.

wow. choose to get past any weirdness you might be experiencing about “re-writing the 10 commandments” — that isn’t the point here! seriously, there’s some great stuff in here! this would make a very cool teaching series, including some connection with and reflection on the actual/original 10 commandments (many of which are covered in this “new” list!).