# The young people's biggest problem: tiredness

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-malaysia-youth-seminar-tiredness
- Themes: rest, kindness to oneself, modern life, youth
- Life situations: burnout, stressed students, exhaustion

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At an afternoon youth seminar in Malaysia for about 200 people aged 15 to 25, the participants wrote their biggest emotional problem on slips of paper. Ajahn Brahm expected depression or low self-esteem from peer pressure; when the slips were collated, the clear winner was tiredness.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I was invited to spend the day at a youth seminar in Kuala Lumpur, it's a very interesting occassion, about 400-500 young people 15-25, doing all sorts of interesting stuff, one of the things they were doing is that they asked all the people there, what is your most difficult emotion as 15-25 year old, mostly Chinese Buddhists over in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. What do you find most difficult of all in life? And the answer which came up was tiredness. I never expected that before

## Teaching point

Exhaustion is the hidden disease of the modern world; rest is an act of kindness and the basis of stillness.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Asked for their hardest emotion, two hundred young Malaysians didn't name depression or self-esteem. They named tiredness. Schoolwork, grades and expectations wear young people out. Ajahn Brahm reminds them grades matter less than they're told. If you're exhausted, rest is not laziness. It's kindness, and the ground of peace.

## Source

- [Menangani Kelelahan | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOBRm2Qb9ew) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:58 to 2:42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOBRm2Qb9ew&t=118s

Other tellings of this story:

- [2. Letting Go in Meditation - Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3jZskZU6c) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 22:30 to 23:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3jZskZU6c&t=1350s
- [Relax and Recharge During the Holidays | Ajahn Brahm | 12 January 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEJV916gvTI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 14:58 to 15:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEJV916gvTI&t=898s
- [Wie man mit Müdigkeit umgeht | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7qMBilP9M) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:58 to 2:42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7qMBilP9M&t=118s