Contradiction

At this writing, the most common cause of death in youths is accident.  If youth motivation and tendencies were better directed (motivated), there would be significant decrease in premature death in young generations.  In middle age the big killers are cancer and heart failure – encouraged by the life styles of sufficiently affluent peoples.  In elders the emerging Alzheimer’s and general decline appear to be major enemies to life.  All of these could be affected beneficially, quite dramatically, by an informed citizenry responsive to that which they learn to be true in nutrition, in exercise, in value oriented living and thinking, in attitudes and family.  These benefits come at no funding cost (above standard maintenance) to either the individual or society, but would do more than the present programs costing billions of dollars in health care, and research for increasing effectiveness in discovery and cure of diseases.  We have met the enemy and it’s us.  If personal responsibility/performance were to be applied to what we know is beneficial for the good of individuals and society were adopted generally, much (not all) of our concern is alleviated.

It is important to have ideals, conceptions about how to make self and context better than that we have at the moment – even if we do not do well in reaching toward making those ideals realistic to our situations.  If there is no vision, the people perish.  Without concepts of higher and better thought and performance, we are not going to improve our lives and situations.  Accidents are inevitable in the earth context, but reducing their number belongs to persons, young or old, to take care, to have personal habits and attitudes that embrace life with a sense of responsibility to self and others.  For accidents to take the lives of our children, as the first reason for death/tragedy in their lives is human folly borne on incomplete parenting, on oversight of the human tendency to the margins of danger – until maturity gains proper respect for values of safety and consequences, concern for others and life meaning, and purpose for life to serve the creation.  God has made clear that serving the creation is tantamount to serving him.  That pattern is owed to the creation.  Our acceptability to God for spiritual context is another matter.  We decide on our own to gain or fall to the affirmatives and negatives of nature’s context – with or without God’s participation.

Analysts seem rather unanimous in believing that the general public appears to believe that we can do just about anything we want to do, and that the negatives can be met through the achievements of creative persons in science, mechanics, change, progress and counsel – various remedial means.  The doctor will offer a pill.  The mechanic will form a safety seat.  The counselor will heal neglected marriages or any social/personal distress.  The future will heal.  We seem to have missed the meaning of progress that is partly dependent upon self-discipline to act affirmatively on that we already know.  Matters will get better for me when I get better.  Whether we acknowledge the matter or not, the human being has something of the image of God stamped on the soul.  That means we must have discipline and morality that identifies with duty.  Animals do not have that context of being, so benefit and suffer without responsibility for conduct.  Consequences are passed over.  Death ends the life story for them without award or guilt.  They live the life of the jungle and the sea.  Human life offers veiled parable of life in the kingdom of God.

Nature moves aggressively.  God is quite able to take care of the negatives (related to sin, the causes that resist his affirmations).  We reduce the negatives when we regard the truth (affirmations) in our lives.  For all persons the system works in nature if applied.  For persons of faith, the benefits are embellished as faith demands more from that context required in nature.  It adds the benefits of larger insight, of conduct, of personal involvement with God accented in Scripture as prayer and the Holy Spirit in daily life.  Taught to youth early in their lives, resources are offered to gain maturity, to take on truth wherever it may be found and adapt to it with trust that God will aid in achieving the good life, life that is not broken by circumstances, not lifted by wealth, power or celebrity influence, but by God for persons of spiritual integrity: Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.