A Thought - Generational

We conceive, perceive, believe.

Each generation likes to promote itself as the best; everything which preceded the current generation is inferior. There is an antithesis between morality and reality, social criticism and social advancement; and it is sometimes thought that social morality flourishes by hiding prejudices while social advancement attacks the hypocrisy and other defects. These are very generalized, simplified statements which can easily be destroyed, pulled out of context, rearranged, ridiculed and forgotten. We live each day searching for an elusive vigor within ourselves, our friends, our colleagues. We live each day developing, revising, and disposing assumptions about ourselves, our friends, our colleagues, strangers. We want to believe that because we are alive today, we are the great wise sages. We understand all criticism, all human behavior, all human desire. In reality many human beings live a very narrow existence, with very narrow viewpoints. As social norms change many people accept the cultural extenuation of sin and vice; when being bad is socially acceptable making good choices becomes difficult. Which path should be followed the good open new path or the old prudish ways. Modern life is an epoch of extenuating exercises of selfishness and arrogance. Without realizing it, the souls of each person is ready to be purchased at reduced rates as each person runs around listening to and saying all types of profanity, racing from one sinister locality to another with a dizzying insanity. How easily this is called entertainment or an active social life! How great it is when both decadence and greed are socially acceptable, socially desirable. The ultimate goal of this society is how to spend our leisure time, how to obtain the ultimate pleasure, how to control life. These are assumptions which are flirting with the basic prejudices and dangers of a secular society. The aims of a secular society are immediate, very tangible, something to be touched, tasted, experienced now. That is one of the dangers of a secular society the insane search for immediacy; immediacy must be controlled, must be influenced. How easy it is to flatter one another to achieve a short term goal! How easy it is to isolate the truth in order to obtain something! How easy it is to accept all types of social falsifications. Modern life is now very interconnected, intertwined with corporate life; powerful corporations do dominate our lives and in ways sometimes subtle, and not so subtle, do influence the lives of everyone in this society. There is conscious and intentional manipulation attacking each member of this society with things to buy, candidates to vote for, animals to save, hungry children to feed and educate, birth control pills with side effects.

Christians learn about the dangers of selfishness, greed, sin. Each age the dangers increase even as society might look another direction because science says “it is okay to do this in this context.” There is no context where sin is acceptable. But without a moral compass, moral direction sin becomes inevitable.

And prayer is needed now; love is needed; hope is needed.

So many people need to be directed toward God, away from materialism, consumerism; so many people need to be asked to come home to God; so many people need to be reminded about God’s love; so many people need to be asked to become humble, loving servants of God.

Now is the time for contemplation, time for prayer.