"We had each other an' that was enough"

Whatever happened to love in our society? I'm not talking about lustful passion that makes people do things in a moment which they will regret for a lifetime. I'm talking about a deeper passion that drives one to give up everything, to turn life all upside down and inside out for the capture of something far more worth it. A passion that drives a conscious sacrifice but never leaves its focus upon the sacrifice but always upon the object of the love. Whatever happened to hearing an older and wiser man chuckle with the twinkle in his eye, “We were young and perhaps foolish, but we loved each other, so we got married. An' we didn't have much at all, an' it was hard those days, but we had each other an' that was enough.” That was always enough.


But not anymore. “Each other” is simply not enough. Finances is the number one cause of divorce statistically. But not realistically. In America, almost everyone has more money than they need-- but no one has enough. It's not that they need more money; no, money is not the root of the problem at all. It's the love of money that is the “root of all evil.” The root of all these tragic divorces is love. A love for something you can never have all of and, therefore, never enough of.


Do you know why “each other” used to be enough? It was because they had all of the thing they truly loved most. They had all of each other and, therefore, always enough. If you could have all of the thing you love. If you could derive a lasting joy and pleasure from that object of your affection, you'd be satisfied. Unfortunately, we all-too-often set our love on things we can never fully possess, and in so doing, we never fully give ourselves over to the one who loves us, to the one who wants to be wholly ours. It's not the money that's the problem-- it's our love. What do you want? What's most precious? What do you love more than anything?

The Millennials

I am part of a generation of potential. We are different from any other generation before us. We embrace causes and faith. We are relationship-oriented and stick together. We are driven and passionate. Unafraid of change, we rather anticipate it eagerly and with welcoming arms. Yes, we are locked and loaded, poised and ready to take over the world.

And I am scared to death. Because with all of our potential, we face far greater threats toward internal destruction than any previous generation. While we accept faith and gaze upon it with our open and admiring eye, very few of us actually find ourselves living by it. No, we are, in fact, as much our own god as the generation before us was theirs. And much talk of faith neither begs nor receives much from God.

Our relationships, though they provide a strength in unity, also present a proneness to the herd mentallity, being controlled by peer pressure rather than principle. While we are driven and passionate, much of that passion is wasted on the frivolity of movies and weekend parties.

What are our goals? What plans? Though we do have dreams-- big ones-- we see little need for goals and plans; we are seekers and explorers-- not settlers. We are living in a world of rapidly increasing opportunities in areas of travel and communication and the millennials are not a generation to sit still.

Our generation at its worst is unstable and faced with vicious and constant moral temptations. At its best it is dynamic, driven, well-equipped, and less self-focused than the generation before it. Many uncertainties remain for now, but with eyes open and arms extended to embrace monumental changes in everything from technology to politics to economics, this generation could change this downward-spiraling world it is about to take over. For the good.

Computerless.

Without a computer now, I am borrowing my brother's at night and think this blog will be the best way to store my thoughts.