Path to Life

Life is quite simple.

Theme Parks > Elementary-High School > College > Work > Hobbies > Buy a Car > Marry > Buy a House > Have Own Kids > Retire > Grand Kids

This is how it has been for several years. However, this path has been challenged lately. People with less means can no longer afford to go to theme parks, go to a preferred college, hard to get to a nice decent work, broken families, marrying is no longer between a man and a woman so having own kids or grand kids is no longer the norm. According to the latest US Census data, for example, only 36% of adult men are married and have children with their spouse. Almost 50% of all marriages will end in divorce.

New Normal

How this did happen? A lot of it has to do with the shift in culture, bad parenting, free flowing information through the advent of the internet, and social media echo chamber that follow the masses without fully understanding the underlying issues. The video below demonstrates accurately what is happening in today's world. Before concluding there is bias to the generation of today because of the title, there isn't. It has to do with the following as discussed in the video:

  1. Parenting
  2. Technology
  3. Impatience
  4. Environment

Happiness, Joy, and Peace

Happiness and joy can be easily be attained:

Happiness:

  1. Appeasement of hunger with savory food
  2. Satisfy intense thirst for water
  3. New car and house
  4. Shelter for protection and comfort
  5. Satisfy craving for sex

Joy:

  1. Profession (medicine, law, etc. with all the rewards and awards)
  2. Politics (power and distinction, etc.)
  3. Religion (emotional refreshment, nicety, exaltation of the leaders, etc.)
  4. Arts (painting, movies, etc. with all the rewards and awards)
  5. Sports (basketball, boxing, football, etc. with all the rewards and awards)
  6. Seeing your kids earn awards and succeed...

Peace:

Despite having all the happiness and joy in the world, there has always been a “vacuum inside” that can make one realize that emotion is fleeting. There has been a story about a German billionaire who is worth over $10 billion committing suicide because he lost $4 billion in the stock market. How about notable people with all their fame and fortune ruining their lives? - Amy Winehouse, Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams, Mac Miller just to name a few. Isn't fame and fortune what all people desire to achieve?

John 14:27 " Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you…"

Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…"

Luke 2:11-14 "For unto you is born this day…a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. …And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Isaiah 61 “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”