It is my purpose to discuss with understanding some of the compound problem identified here as decline in life as it moves more and more into the technological age. I tend to accent American because that context is best known to me, but the problems exist in other advanced nations, at variant degrees. With the turn of the new century, often referred to as the beginning of a new millennium, American life has effected some distortion in the conduct of the generations entering professional life during the years after the turn to a new millennium. According to several analysts the current graduates of higher education are not entering professional life with a professional performance that merits their expectations. The issues relate to various causes and spread out over all of life, including faith, health, work and family – perhaps with all that we have to do. Even religious faith is emerging in the secular conversation, something that had faded during the twentieth century. For example, an excellent review of Souls in Transition by Christian Smith was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal (10/02/2009) that deals with: The wobbly religious views of young people emerging into adulthood. Various sources are emphasizing the growing problems of health in obese youth – some with appalling statistics. Problems of depression, obesity rates, sleep deprivation, general carnality, pregnancy without marriage, and the list grows long – threatens the good life for many.
American industry, some from other nations as well, have for the last twenty or so years, moved much of their operations to other shores. The reason most touted for the shift has been that the cost of labor in the United States has exceeded what is necessary for producing competitive goods. In other words, tax and labor costs in America render it difficult to impossible to compete in world markets. Margins are lost. As I write this the advantage is declining and there have been negative fallouts in several areas so that some of the production is being returned to homelands. Other problems, related to the American economy and employment are currently accented. The labor force is untrained for the new demands of technology. Even with high unemployment there is a desperate search for trained workers. Companies are importing workers from abroad. There are other issues, one of which comprises the burden of Today’s Page – the unprofessional worker. Even when industry hires the modern graduate, a graduate holdings credentials, there is only a 50/50 possibility that the person will function well in an assignment for which that person has presumably been prepared. The language used, the attitude taken, the clothing worn, the projection to goals, the variables needed to make a good employee bent on performing well in the assignment seems to be casual and unsatisfactory. Many are dropped early in new employment, some walk away, and the real reason for failure or delay is not in the system, not in the company, but in the person who may blame others, may rely on a charitable government, to some other substitute for work, effort, responsibility, self-value, and losing some of the benefits of expensive education. The educated person is the one who reveals that education in life and responsibility, not in the writings on an attractive diploma. The true professional must be professional; dress the part, use language appropriate to the dignity of language; recognize the expectations that come with the life assignments; and, remain a continuing learner. All this is highly related to growing maturity. All that indicates knowledge related to human worth, to health, even to faith.
In a leading publication about sports and athletics a writer wrote about a particularly gifted athlete evaluated low on the list of college players in the draft. It was concluded that he was downgraded because of his attitude, perhaps surliness on occasion, of seeming disinterest in the system, without a sense of loyalty and desire to move forward. It is predicted that it cost him millions of dollars, and professional respect. The reasons had nothing to do with his athletic skills. Another athlete ranked high, received millions of dollars to sign with a good team. In his first year, his remarks were sometimes stupid (for which he apologized) and his performance not quite what was expected. Was something omitted from education/training, or background, or life view? Some celebrity persons, even graduates of prestigious universities, seem to be on another planet than earth – earth, a serious planet requiring some devotion to the meaning of others in our lives and our destinies in a culture. We need fresh insight into faith about our life meaning. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020