Sunday, November 12, 2006
The pitiful picture of our youth
By Tim R. Alanib
Ambrosia for the young
THERE seems to be no difference between the youth of the past and the present.
Socrates (465-399 BC), a Greek philosopher, pictures the pitiful situation of the youth of his time by saying: "Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect for older people. Children nowadays are tyrants. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room, they contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble their food and tyrannize their teachers."
How true this picture is in our days as well!
What we have seen above are the marks of the latter days as foretold in the Word of God.
Here's what we see as quoted from II Timothy 3:1-5: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away."
Quotable quotes on the following negative virtues in our society these days:
* Selfishness
No man can live happily who regards himself alone, who turns everything to his own advantage. You must live for others, if you wish to live for yourself. (Bits and pieces)
A church had a sign in front: "Jesus Only." One night a storm blew out the first three letters and left "Us Only" to many churches have come to that. (Vance Havner)
* Pride
Pride has been called "the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it."
Pride is perhaps the most slippery of temptations to cope with. You may not have a problem with pride and be justly proud of it... and in the process you have just developed a pride problem. (The Daily Walk August 1983)
Pride has its built-in hazard, as illustrated in the fable of the two ducks and a frog. The best of friends had to leave their home pond when it began to dry up. The ducks knew they could easily fly to another location. To transport their friend the frog, they decided to fly with a stick between their two bills, with the frog hanging on the stick with his mouth. A farmer, looking up from his field at the flying trio, remarked, "Well, isn't that a clever idea? I wonder who thought of that." The frog said, "I did." He learned the hard way that pride goeth before a fall. (Leslie B. Flynn)
* Ingratitude
During World War II, a young army captain was hit by enemy fire while dragging a seriously wounded sergeant to safety. Both were taken to an army hospital. The officer died, but the rescued soldier recovered. The captain's parents, having been informed about the heroism of their son, invited the sergeant to their home for dinner. He accepted the invitation, but when he arrived he was not only late but in a half-intoxicated condition. All the while he was there he acted boorishly, said nothing about the one who had saved his life, wolfed down his food, and left without even saying thanks for their gracious hospitality. As soon as he was gone, the mother burst into tears, exclaiming, "To think that our son had to die for an ungrateful person like that!"
* Pleasures
The comforts of this life are as candles that will end in a snuff. (Stephen Charnock)
* Greed
One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs from our greed. (Don Robinson)
* No self-control
The Christian philosophy is a philosophy of self-denial, self-control and self-restraint.
The satanic philosophy is a philosophy of "live as you please," "have what you want," "don't let anyone tell you what to do," and "it's your life, you have a right to live it." (Bob Jones)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (November 12, 2006 issue)
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