Ibu Rahayu responds to a question about youth and the elderly during a visit to Loudwater Farm, UK 23.10.90.
.. Actually, in the spiritual there isn't a distinction between youth and elderly people. So when Bapak talked about encouraging the Subud youth, it was Bapak's intention to open the way for younger people in Subud, so that they're not obstructed by people who are older, or elderly, who perhaps don't give them the necessary chances to grow and develop.
Actually the road or path taken by an elderly person in Subud or a young person in Subud is the same. The only difference tends to be ways of thinking in the outer sense, which comes from the fact that one is older than the other. But as Subud youth, you have much more time ahead of you, so you should have more time to give for the development and progress of Subud.
Young people in Subud should also be aware that the path of Subud is a path towards Almighty God, and this means, for a young person, he must be prepared to be considered a little bit strange perhaps by other people of his age who are not in Subud. From the letters Ibu Rahayu receives, she sees that many young people often have spiritual experiences in the latihan, but because perhaps there is lack of guidance, and perhaps they have not paid due attention to Bapak's talks, they can often misunderstand or misinterpret the experiences they are having, so it's important for the youth not only to be active in youth activities in Subud, but also to be very diligent in following the latihan.
So in facing problems or difficulties as a young Subud member, you should not close yourselves off from people who are older, but be willing to share your problems and ask for guidance from them, because the field of the spiritual is very wide, and it is not possible for you to handle it by yourself. So having a relationship with older persons in Subud, means there is a connection from one generation to the other.
[Shortened from a taped translation by Raymond Lee]