We live in a world plagued by a growing epidemic of depression and anxiety, especially among the younger generations. Recent surveys have shown that nearly one-third of teenagers are suffering from clinical levels of anxiety and depression. Among the contributing factors are genetics, trauma, neglect, parenting styles, sexual orientation, peer and social group influence, and social media use. Data also suggests that older age groups are not immune to the discouragement, frustration, and sadness running rampant throughout American society. Overall, it is being reported that over 50% of Americans are dissatisfied in their lives.
I am not a counselor or mental health specialist. However, I have kids, grandkids, and friends who are facing life’s challenges as they pursue happiness and seek to discover meaning in their lives. Like Americans of all ages, they want to dream, to find meaning, and to fulfill their potential. In the ongoing battle that at times can overwhelm each of us and fill us with despair, it is my hope that when we see our futures as bleak and fragile, we will find strength and reassurance.
One clue as to where we are as a society was recently provided by a billionaire donor to Harvard University who said that Harvard and other elite schools create “whiny snowflakes.” He asked, “Are we going to educate a group of young men and women who are just caught up in a rhetoric of oppressor and oppressee and ‘this is not fair’?
“Until Harvard makes it very clear that they are going to resume their role of educating young American men and women to be leaders, to be problem solvers, to take on difficult issues, I am not interested in supporting the institution.” Over the past 40 years, he has donated in excess of $500 million to the school.
As we confront and conquer tough times, we owe a debt of gratitude to all of those, past and present, who work overtime to become a counterweight to the negative factors that threaten our individual and collective peace. Through inspiring words of wisdom and encouragement, they demonstrate how we too can become purveyors of hope.
Looking back in time, we can see that what passes today for intellectualism and scholarship is a very narrow view of the world. Disdain for natural law and a lack of respect for the great thinkers of the past has led to an intellectual environment governed by license–Let me do what I want, let me live “my truth,” while I mock and ignore the sacred, the foundational, and the traditional.
In 1987, Allan Bloom wrote The Closing of the American Mind. Painting the picture of a nation in crisis, he wrote of “the universities’ lack of purpose and the students’ lack of learning. Each of which has led to nihilism and despair, of relativism disguised as tolerance.
“What we see today is a culture which lacks an understanding of the past and a vision of the future. Entrusted with the education of our people, our system no longer provides the knowledge of the great traditions of philosophy and literature that made students aware of the order of nature and of man’s place within it. In their failure to arouse or to nurture the self-knowledge that has always been the basis for serious learning, the intellectual currents of Western civilization and history have been replaced by a spiritual malaise.”
Accelerating this deterioration are those who either have no interest in or who are actively hostile to our founding, to the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution. Employing deceit, and under the guise of objectivity, our culture has been transformed “by the idea that there is no longer hope in great and wise men from other places and times who can reveal the truth about life.” In short, relativism, revisionism, and opposition to spiritual principles have extinguished the real motives of education and the essential importance of the standards by which we are to be governed.
My prescription for instilling hope and alleviating sadness is as follows:
- We live in a world of spiritual warfare. Beginning with the War in Heaven and continuing on Earth today, a fierce battle is being waged between the forces of good and evil. It is imperative that all people, both young and old, see this.
- We are children of God; created in His likeness and image.
- Our two greatest blessings are the gift of life and the freedom to direct that life.
- Mortality is an opportunity to gain a physical body, to overcome weakness and temptation, to improve, and to gain experience. Each of us won (earned) the right to be here (on Earth). We were not forced to come. Furthermore, we each have an important mission to fulfill. So much of what is beneficial is discovered through developing a love of work and in learning to value time.
- We are possessed with an irresistible desire to know our relationship with the Infinite. Hope is rooted in faith and trust that God is at the helm.
- Knowledge is of no value unless used. Learn and apply correct principles.
- Strive to rise above the environment. Master the body and all things physical and live in a higher and more beautiful world.
- Turn to Jesus Christ. He is the Light of the World. He has overcome spiritual and physical death. He has suffered pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind. Full of mercy and compassion, He understands our infirmities, anxieties, and limitations.
- Our nation was founded by honorable men. The invention of the market economy fostered upward mobility, harnessed self-interest, and spurred creativity, imagination, and individual talent. Remember all of our hard-won rights and responsibilities. Pursue a renaissance of respect, a revival of responsibility, a spiritual awakening of our story, of who we are and how we got here, of all we have been through and achieved, to accompany the emphasis on human rights, our pursuit of equality and justice, and our celebration of human freedom. There is no upside to the weakening of our nation. The conservative worldview drives human flourishing.
- Reverence for life is imperative. The world’s richest man is also the world’s leading proponent of natalism. “Having children is saving the world,” said Elon Musk. “A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.” Prepare well, fall in love, walk down the aisle or kneel at the altar, and raise a family. The right to life is the universal birthright of every soul.
- Seek and promote balance in our environmental stewardship. We do not have to choose between a cleaner planet and a prosperous economy. We can have both.
- Maintain freedom against the forces of socialism and communism. “Of all the systems of political economy which have shaped our history, none has so revolutionized ordinary expectations of human life–lengthened the life span, made the elimination of poverty and famine thinkable, enlarged the range of human choice–as democratic capitalism” (Michael Novak).
- “Lay down true principles and adhere to them inflexibly. Do not be frightened into their surrender by the alarms of the timid, or the croakings of wealth against the ascendancy of the people” (Thomas Jefferson).
- Live the Golden Rule. Always be kind, honest, and friendly.
- Righteousness exalts a nation. When the meanings of words are changed through plausible definitions, freedom is degenerated, and the culture is in decline.
Above is a list of universal truths. They are designed to help us better understand the why of our existence and the purposes of mortal life. Understanding them, applying them, and sharing them will build and preserve spiritual and emotional resilience in ourselves and others. May we be the voice of hope, the purveyors of hope, to all those around us.
