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What is wrong with the world today? It seems like we are
hearing that question more and more these days. It is not a new questions.
People have been asking that for centuries. I personally don't think that
the world is really that much worse today than it was in past generations.
I feel like we are much more open today than we were in the past, thus, more
issues are out in the light. It is not necessarily that there is more evil
in the world, it is simply that more evil has been exposed and we are now trying
to deal with it instead of sweeping it under the rug. But, that's just me.
If I had to pinpoint one thing that is wrong with the world
today, I
would have to say selfishness. At the root of most of our problems is that good
old fashioned narcissism. For example, customer service is almost a thing of the
past. Instead of being greeted with a smile and "how may I help you," we
are often lucky to get a response at all when looking for customer service.
Another example of selfishness in our world is the thought that everything is
supposed to suit me or else it is not valid. We are raising a generation of
people who think that the world is supposed to serve them instead of them
serving the world.
Jesus said, "If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny
himself, take
up his cross and follow me." That is a very selfless statement from a very
selfless man. I think that be might be on to something.
I attended The University of Georgia for my undergraduate
degree,
While I was there, I had a blast singing in the Men's Glee Club. Our
Director was a man by the. name of Dr. Pierce Arant. During my time at UGA, Dr.
Arant developed Lymphoma and we watched him decline. Due to his illness, he
became very gruff and stern. We knew not to
cross him.
My senior year, we went on a tour up the East Coast. We sang
in places from Georgia to New York. One night, we did a concert at a college and
we spent the night on campus. Dr. Arant told us to be in our dorms by a certain
time and not to go back out after that. However, one of the guys snuck out in
the middle of the night. While he was out, he got very drunk, stole a jeep, and
rode around the campus causing all kinds of trouble. Ultimately, he drove that
jeep into a tree and cut his head wide open. The campus police picked him up and
brought him back to the dorm where we were staying. They put him in a room and
called all of the officers of our group to come and gather in the same room.
They also called Dr. Arant and asked him to come. I was one of the officers of
the group, thus I was there to witness what was about to happen.
As we were waiting for Dr. Arant to get there, we were.
laughing among ourselves and saying, "This guy is really going to get it!
Dr. Arant is going to bless him out like he has never seen." However, the events
that unfolded ,could not have been more moving. When Dr. Arant walked in, the
young man was sitting in a chair with his bleeding head in his hands. He
was crying from the pain and also from the guilt of what he had done. Dr.
Arant went over, sat down next to the guy and put his arm around him. He
didn't say anything for a minute or so, but finally he spoke to the young man.
He said, I want you to know that I have been where you are. I
love you and I want to see you make something better of yourself than this. I am
going to send you home because I have to, but when we get back to Athens, I want
you to come to my office every day. We are going to work through this together."
Humility could change the world. If everyone of us would
be a little
more compassionate and a little less selfish, the world might actually be a
better place.
What is wrong with the world today? It is you and me. |
