I have been wanting to write this for quite some time, but each time I start, I don’t know how to say it all. How do I say this in a way that isn’t obvious? How do I say this in a way that doesn’t make me sound like a crotchety old luddite? How do I add something new to this discussion that feels ubiquitous? I don’t know. And maybe whatever I write here won’t be new, or fresh, or useful, but nevertheless, I feel the need to talk about this.
I discovered your Substack through a writing group on FB (I’m part of several and can’t remember which one, off the top of my head). I’m a former high school English teacher turned homeschooling parent (and I’m a Millennial). This is a thought-provoking bit of writing. You’ve correctly identified the problem, some contributors to the problem (2020, TikTok) and, I think, are lamenting the right things. It is, after all, an active threat to the existence of human beings to lose self-motivation and hopefulness on such a grand scale. It’s an oft-dismissed solution by Millennials and Gen Z -- too Boomer, too prosaic -- but does this culture have any openness left to God? Do we have any openness left to fixing the broken parts of our culture by fixing the broken parts of our souls? I am curious if you think the loss of spiritual influence in our culture has played any role. Thanks for this piece -- while bleak, the first step (so they say) is admitting that we have a problem.
To be up front - I am not a particularly religious person, but there is some validity to your argument. And I don’t mean that God will fix this, but that part of the cynicism and hopelessness comes from not having anything to believe in, whether that’s humanity, or a higher power. When you don’t believe there is hope, and therefore no point, it does contribute to this problem. There are parts of spirituality that are important for mental health - feeling a sense of belonging, camaraderie, community, a sense of purpose. Part of the issue is who people choose to put their faith in, or rather what version of person or thing they choose. Faith can become toxic if directed in damaging ways, but it can, like you said, also create a lot of good for a person. I’ll never tell anyone what they should believe, and there are plenty of other ways to feel the positive impacts of faith or spirituality, without the religion, or the dogma. For some people it’s going to the gym, for some it’s a creative outlet (like writing), book clubs, etc. The importance is to find someone to share your time with in a way that is meaningful, and to find something to believe in that is larger than yourself.
Thank you for finding me, and thank you for the comment! I hope this becomes a larger conversation.
I discovered your Substack through a writing group on FB (I’m part of several and can’t remember which one, off the top of my head). I’m a former high school English teacher turned homeschooling parent (and I’m a Millennial). This is a thought-provoking bit of writing. You’ve correctly identified the problem, some contributors to the problem (2020, TikTok) and, I think, are lamenting the right things. It is, after all, an active threat to the existence of human beings to lose self-motivation and hopefulness on such a grand scale. It’s an oft-dismissed solution by Millennials and Gen Z -- too Boomer, too prosaic -- but does this culture have any openness left to God? Do we have any openness left to fixing the broken parts of our culture by fixing the broken parts of our souls? I am curious if you think the loss of spiritual influence in our culture has played any role. Thanks for this piece -- while bleak, the first step (so they say) is admitting that we have a problem.
To be up front - I am not a particularly religious person, but there is some validity to your argument. And I don’t mean that God will fix this, but that part of the cynicism and hopelessness comes from not having anything to believe in, whether that’s humanity, or a higher power. When you don’t believe there is hope, and therefore no point, it does contribute to this problem. There are parts of spirituality that are important for mental health - feeling a sense of belonging, camaraderie, community, a sense of purpose. Part of the issue is who people choose to put their faith in, or rather what version of person or thing they choose. Faith can become toxic if directed in damaging ways, but it can, like you said, also create a lot of good for a person. I’ll never tell anyone what they should believe, and there are plenty of other ways to feel the positive impacts of faith or spirituality, without the religion, or the dogma. For some people it’s going to the gym, for some it’s a creative outlet (like writing), book clubs, etc. The importance is to find someone to share your time with in a way that is meaningful, and to find something to believe in that is larger than yourself.
Thank you for finding me, and thank you for the comment! I hope this becomes a larger conversation.