The Society in Which We Live

"Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple." -- 2 Timothy 4:2, The Message​​​

​We live in a society that is drenched with information and images. As such, we've become completely desensitized to all but the most brutal, extreme and inhumane.

We live in a society characterized by a capitalist economy. As such, we're constantly aware of competition of products, competition for our attention, and -- more to the point -- we sense the competition of people: we live in a dog-eat-dog world. And as such, we celebrate the hustlers of the world and their rags-to-riches storyline.

We live in a society that values, if not worships, the idea of freedom, a freedom of the individual that cannot or should not be infringed by government or by any other group or individual. A freedom that many people equate with "I can do whatever the hell I want.," as if our real lives are reality tv.

So, when you put those three ideas together, we live in a society where we look at each other as competition, where we can do whatever we want or need to do to get ahead, since people will actually respect it, and there won't be any shame in doing so, because it won't even compare to the worst things we've seen in movies, on the internet, or on the nightly news.

Realizing that this is the world we've created based on the principles we value, it would be good to put into practice the words above.

Let's hold ourselves accountable to each other ("challenge, warn, and urge your people"), and let's do so with respect and humility ("just keep it simple"). In the face of an oftentimes harsh reality, keep your faith ("don't ever quit") and lend your voice. You can do it, I have faith in you.