The Never Ending Cry!

Are you old enough to remember the days, when shops closed for the weekend. Pubs closed at 10pm (or even back to the "6 o'clock swill" [nz idiom]). Days when the good night kiwi came up on TV and told us all to go to bed, as TVNZ was closing down for the night.

Days when there was no internet, no cell phones or texting. It took six weeks to get communication back and forth from England. Those days when weekends were family time, sunday drives and picnics at the beach were still a multi-generational affair.

When a good many Christian people went to church on Sunday (they might have had the wrong day but sincerely went to worship their Creator albeit by the wrong name) to ask forgiveness for the weeks sins.

The days when seldom was heard today's never ending cry of "I'm bored"; "it's boring" or "that's boring".

Now churches are empty on Sunday and the shopping malls are full. Seven day a week shopping even on a public holiday.

What's that you say, public holiday? No such thing anymore.

Shopaholics madly rush to the never ending sales. Youngsters happy feeding countless dollars into games arcade machines. Teenagers hanging out, texting furiously all the while they engage in countless mindless activities.

With computers, internet, cellphones, electronic games, 24/7 access to TV, nightclubs open all hours, back to back movies, extreme sports, instant messaging, ipods,etc,etc. They complain they are "bored" and with boredom comes irritability.

Why? What is happening? Does it make sense that with all the extra gadgets and activities they have, that they should be more bored than previous generations?

If it's not fast, loud, aggresive, brightly coloured or so frightening it gives them an adrenal rush, then it seems "it" is boring. Whatever "it" is.

Even very young children are becoming angry, moody and very impatient. Often playing out the characters of "children's" fast moving, loud, aggresive cartoons.

The under 25's seem increasingly unable to focus on anything that takes, time, patience, creativity and perseverance. Could it be that constant searing of the brain with electronic pixels, noise, and aggresive content is the cause of the problem?

Have electronic games, TV programmes and Internet activities, bombarding the brain with innumerable pixels per second; created an inability to focus on anything that takes more than 30seconds to pass through their vision?

With this over stimulation of the cerebral cortex; is it possible that the youth of our nations are suffering a paradoxical atrophy of the mind? Which in turn is causing them an inablity to focus. Rendering them emotionally unstable, in a constant state of anxiety and tension.


Gal 5:22 - 23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no Torah.

Let us all endeavour to reduce the time we spend being bombarded by electronics.

Let us all encourage the independant youth to, reduce the time they spend plugged-in and to avoid the violent games and programmes. Helping them to get back to physical activities that will be healthy and productive.

Further more, let us all decide to never allow the youngest members to develop the habit in the first place.

It is time to redeem the time, we see what it has done to todays teenagers -let it not be so with tomorrow's. Unplug them NOW!