I am blessed to have an assignment instructing 15-16-year-olds. I enjoy teaching, particularly with the kids I currently have. Being involved with the youth gives me a real-world experience that validates my impression; each generation improves on itself.
I hear and have participated in discussions where adults ask each other, “How will our children make it through these times,” or “How will our grandchildren survive what is happening to our world?” These feelings come from older people, perhaps thinking we would not survive what our youth face today. Drugs are easily obtained, pornography is rampant, and technology has created a mindset of instant gratification. As I witness my children maneuver through life, I often think, “I am not sure I could have been that strong.” Things that were not as tough for my generation as this current generation faces go through my mind.
When I default to history, I realize this topic is not new to us in our current circles of conversation. I distinctly remember my grandparents wondering, “How we, as children would, navigate through our modern age?” I am sure their parents and even their grandparents all had similar concerns. In fact, I read in history that these feelings of anxiety have plagued every generation for all known times.
Observing those I teach and the network of friends, my children hang out with, I am convinced each generation is improving on itself. Granted, there is a legitimate argument, we live in times of rising moral degradation and larger-scale threats, but one need only realize; there is balance in nature. This stability suggests the greater good or capability, the more prone we are to the opposition.
Today with twenty-four-hour news on multiple channels, all striving to have the hottest depressing story, we have sublimely implanted in our minds, “This is our world.” I joy in replacing this input with real-world exposure to a majority engaged in good. Our youth are bright, have limited fear, challenge thought, overcome difficulty, and are full of compassion.
I can’t wait to see the inventions they develop, the frontiers they explore, and the ills they extinguish permanently. Let me fear for them, so I can strive to assist them in their growth; while rejoicing in their abilities!
Jaren
