Does It Really Matter?
We had a rather interesting discussion last night with our
teens in our mentor group. We were fortunate to have a few of our college
interns and also older adults joining us. The topic was does it really matter
whether I’m a person that is known for having character and integrity. I was
actually totally shocked to hear one of my teens use the word credibility. I
seriously doubted whether he really understood the term.
I started off with asking who determines what’s right and
wrong in today’s world? I mention the fact that we live in a society where God
is no longer at the forefront of most people’s thinking. There is an obvious tension
or struggle between the scientific community and the religious community. We
talked briefly about the YouTube Video that has caused rioting in the Middle
East with many being killed because of the Prophet Mohamed being slurred. We
talked about what it is like to live in a country where you can say pretty much
anything without getting in trouble. Yet, the reality is that if we lived in a
different country we wouldn’t have access to the internet, YouTube or Facebook.
Freedom does come with a price that at times can harm many
because of the foolishness of a few. I asked whether anyone liked having rules
and the groan that came out clearly communicated NO. Yet, as I gave examples of
how the rules do count the tone and mindset changed. I asked if it was ok for
someone who is married to fool around on the side? I asked whether it was ok if
someone had 2 boyfriends or 2 girlfriends? What would happen if you worked at
McDonalds and took money out of the till? The response was different – can’t do
any of the above. It would cause lots of problems and someone would get fired
and forced to pay back whatever was missing in the till.
Clearly we live in a world where the celebs can do anything
without any fear of reprisal, yet for the rest of us we would be in deep
trouble. I asked why care about morals or ethics? Does it matter whether God
exists when it comes to the topic of what’s right and wrong? Does a belief in
God mean that these followers of Christ are moral? Is the assumption that all
atheists are ‘bad’ people? I quickly mentioned that divorce is just as
prevalent in the church as outside. I also talked about the reality that many
of my non-Christian friends are more moral than I am. Fortunately my path to
heaven isn’t based on my moral level for the present moment.
What was great to hear that all of the teens echoed that
they would rather be around people who did have morals or ethics. Yet, the
perception was that nice people with morals don’t get ahead in life. It is only
the brash and moraless types that end up on top in the business world. I fought
this perception to give real examples of some of the wealthiest people who are
giving away billions and don’t care about being on the top. Wow – there
actually are some that use their wealth to help and not hurt.
The real point of the discussion was to have all of us
consider our present life choices and whether we are doing it right or being a
total fraud when it comes to morals and pleasing God. I know that it is what I
do in the dark by myself that ultimately defines my life. Yes it is possible
for a rich guy to also be a nice guy or a poor guy to be a bad guy also. Yes,
that word, credibility, does mean a lot in today’s world. If any of my teens
want to get a job and keep that job they had better be known for their
credibility.
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