Some people would say that we are more connected to the world than ever, but I wonder if this is really true. I heard a statistic this week that suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens. That tragic information made me pause. Why would teens, in a world full of options, choose to end their lives?
What are kids connected to? Or disconnected from? They are connected to the vast information web, they are connected to sound bytes, superficial relationships built on Facebook and Twitter, they are connected to pictures, images, sounds, but too often, disconnected to what is happening right in front of them.
It is hard to distinguish “real world” vs “false world,” but I think there is a truth here which we, as a human family, should investigate. Personally, it comes down to what actually feeds us – spiritually and physically. “You shall be known by your fruit…” I do not get fed by Facebook interactions. I do not feel seriously connected on Twitter. Even e-mail has it’s limitations. It is not to say that these technological innovations don’t have their purpose and value. But it is to ask: “What are we crowding out when we engage in them to the exclusion of other forms of human communication and interaction?”
When I took my kids to the lake yesterday and they ran around watching the geese and ducks, sat and enjoyed the sun setting over the water, and played tag down a wooded path, they engaged in a real-world reality check. They absorbed a truth which cannot be improved upon. Joy and health seeped into their beings.
When I go outside and work in the garden, when I take a walk down a country road, when I sit and chat face to face with someone, even a stranger, I engage in a real-world reality check that cannot be replaced by any technological gadget.
I wonder if that is why some television programs have become so weird. They are reflecting that absence, that disconnect, that xeroxed print, which has been copied too often and become anemic and a little warped in the process.
Perhaps what our teens need is a little more time with natural reality, not “reality” shows. Perhaps what some writers need is to reflect human beings and our real world, and not slap stick, word-bytes meant to get a laugh or jerk a tear.
Perhaps, reality isn’t meant to lead to suicide.
Mortality Among Teenagers Aged 12-19 Years: United States, 1999-2006. (2010). Retrieved February 20, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db37.htm
The quote attributed to Pope Frances saying, “God always forgives, man sometimes forgives, but nature never forgives…” seems very apropos today. The whole concept of forgiveness is a rather celestial one. From debt forgiveness to nature’s revenge, what can we take away from this assessment? How do we direct our lives toward forgiveness and being forgiven in a world born of both natural and super-natural truth?
For the past several summers, I have made the same mistake. At some point in late summer, I forget the tortures of past experience, and I step into a poison ivy patch or cut down what I consider some harmless vegetation, and I end up with miserable itching for weeks. Is there a statue of limitations on my experiences? Yet, as the memory of my suffering decreases, so my reckless boldness increases.
I’m sitting outside on the back porch, while Merry, the cat – a poor injured stray we saved – is sitting at my feet doing what cats do…resting and checking out the world whenever the mood hits. The pine trees are swaying in a gentle breeze while white, fluffy clouds sail serenely overhead. We’ve had a lot of rain lately, so everything is green and gorgeous. A red rose in a nearby pot practically glows against the backdrop of pine trees. Various summer flowers bloom in their summertime brilliance. Flies and bees and a little jumping spider have also made an appearance. The chicks, still in the brooder house waiting for their outdoor pen to dry are running about, trying their wings as they learn that the ground cannot hold them bound.
Our culture is very troubled these days. But there is hope. The antidote to our culture of death is the pursuit of wholesome life. There are so many things going wrong: the slaughter of the innocent in untold abortion mills around the world, families falling apart, communities in destructive upheavals, terrorists murdering and destroying at will, natural disasters – it is enough to make a person want to crawl into a hole and pull the earth over head. Yet that cannot be our response, or the world really will slip into despair. Despair is not the antidote to tribulation. God’s creative life in us is.
and cats (strays who have managed to find their way here); we raise and care for chickens which lay wonderfully healthy eggs, and we try, in our humble manner, to do what we can to make our place beautiful. We cleared out the clutter, we planted blooming bushes, have built homemade bird feeders and bird houses, we created a little fire pit for outside hot dog roasts, we planted apple and cherry trees which bloom beautifully in the spring and feed us throughout the winter. It takes effort to do all this work – less blogging time, more back aches – but our little home invites the world in and it has been a soul refreshing experience. I know some will say I need to do more for others. We do; we serve in various capacities in our church and family; we support children/families in need; we are not so isolated that we cease to care for the rest of the world. Rather, it is through our pursuit of life that we most invite others to share with us, keeping our souls alive and happy in the process. Seems to me that the pursuit of life (following the example of our Creator) might be one of the most effective antidotes to the miseries of our troubled world.
Gardens are like family: they demand attention, they can get out of hand real quick, yet they feed you in ways nothing else can. For all of my aches & pains, my dislike of getting muddy, and my squeamish attitude about bugs that live in colonies, I am willing, year after year, to start the garden over again. This year is no exception. Considering the work involved and the many family needs demanding my attention, I had to think long and hard about this particular vocation before I even got started. Is gardening really worth my time and effort? After all, I could buy almost everything I want at the grocery store. But in the end, I was converted toward the wholesome reality of a family garden by a few simple but profound truths. Here are some that come readily to mind:
Setting aside the fact that the one and only time I ever consider entering politics is under the inauspicious dream of ending the tyranny of our biannual time-change, I do look forward to seasonal changes. God knows us so well. Humanity needs change, yet we also need consistency. Somehow our Creator manages to address these concerns through the seasons which occur regularly yet are never mundane.