Wednesday; February 6

One of the most reliable things in life is “nostalgia”.  As a youngster I remember sitting around listening to previous generations talking about how things used to be in “good old days”.  When I listened to them recall bygone days I was struck by the fact that they thought that both things and people were so much better back then.  I have to admit that as a younger I was often offended by their perception of how shallow and godless my generation had become.  Interestingly, now that I am older, I share their temptation to see things through the rose colored glasses of reminiscence. 
The problem with nostalgia is multi-layered.  First, it probably isn’t true.  Our memories are often faulty or fuzzy.  The second problem with nostalgia is that it cannot be shared by anyone other than those of our generation.  When we spend too much time looking backwards we naturally alienate up-and-coming generations.  The other day I was reading the book Church Inside Out by Timothy Archer who made a very interesting point about churches that are too consumed with traditionalism.  After acknowledging it was okay to be proud of our past he observed, “An outsider may respect you for what you’ve done in the past, but they can’t be a part of that.”.  Wow – what a powerful statement.  Even if we don’t intentionally try to isolate people who don’t share our traditions, too much time spent praising the way things used to be may alienate them because they cannot share our past experiences much less the pride that goes with it.
Are we looking for ways to build bridges with other generations?  Let’s start by creating new, shared memories with them.  Let’s do good things TOGETHER!  We don’t have to give up our past, but when multiple generations work in harmony we can make a brighter future.
          Think About It!

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