The Gimme-Now Culture

It is just so apparently clear to me after reading several news feeds over the past few days of how obsessed we are as a culture with instant gratification. Now I know this is not a new concept {at least maybe not to most of my readers}. But it goes way beyond the faster, newer, cooler techno-gadgets and gizmos. It is how generations are being "wired". Whatever happened to saving to buy what you want? Now it’s plastic to the rescue. Or waiting until marriage? No need, that's an "archaic" rule-based-system. Or wait your turn. Why should I, I am more important then that woman behind me. Or, the good will conquer in the end {add the old saying; good things come to those who wait}. Well, who said anything about evil or good? That's some kind of moral-mumbo-jumbo. Everyone knows that it’s all relative.

But how is it that one day, not so long ago, morality was not relative, people believed in good and evil and a being greater than themselves. But who is right, our forefathers or us? Are we more "enlightened" then they were?

So many of the modern "philosophers" would say yes. We have been loosed from the shackles of rigidity and objective truth. We are now free. Free from what, or to do what? The answer follows: "Whatever you want. Just be a good person." To which the response would be, "Whatever I want? Oh, my goodness... that is fabulous! No restrictions. I am going to go and do just that. But you mentioned that I should be good. I thought you said there is no such thing. What does that mean?" "Well, you know, just don't kill anyone." "But isn't that a restriction, I thought you said we were free?" "We are." "Then I'm confused."

Might I posit, at the risk of sounding slightly-looney to the contemporary culture, that our forefathers actually had it right? There is objective truth, good and evil and no matter how much one may like to deny it, a Supreme Being who is the reason we {and this whole world} are even here.

Stay tuned for the coming posts... as I will try to illumine some of the major defects in the new millennial "thinking".