Tuesday, December 2, 2008
On "be meaner, I'll like you better"
Ponder this with me if you will: why is it in our society that it is so acceptable, even attractive, to be "bad"? It seems to me that many people have this idea in their minds (especially teenagers) of what they're supposed to be like and it often ends up being not very nice. Why do we pat on the back those who curse and make crude jokes? Good for you, you're so bad. Really?? I don't understand this at all. When did our standards change? You grow up and are punished for lying, cheating, and stealing only to have your world turned upside down in young adulthood as everything screams "Lie! Cheat! Steal! You'll be cool!" Something is wrong when I'm in the minority for having and listening to a conscience. I don't think a good person is measured by the absence or presence of sin, we all sin. Rather, a good person is measured in what they do about their sin. To me it's pretty simple: you do something bad, you feel guilty, you repent, you try not to do it again, you feel better. Today the process for many seems to be: you do something bad, you tell your friends, they pat you on the back, you feel good and are anxious to do it again. We do bad thing to try and impress. How did this get started? It's extremely worrisome. Personally, being a good person makes me happy; it's not a chore. I used to try to be edgy or whatever to be impressive and I hated, I felt like crap all the time. So, is it just me here, am I backwards? Or, is the world peopled with massicists? Now, I am certainly not what I'd call persecuted for not being bad, but I'm definitely not applauded for it either. Thoughts????
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13 comments:
I think that the drive to learn to love God and how to leave beautiful fingerprints is all learned from the disicpled law that was set for us and it is the core of most christian's faith. And your right it can be completely ruined depending on who you rely on to tell you what you should be up to. It a crazy, nasty, horid mess. When children grow up they are encouraged to dig at the fountation of their faith so that they know what they believe in. And I guess that the problem with most people today is that they can just slide by. Our society has made it a rude, in-your-face thing to question what others believe. And christians are accused of pushing people to believe when (in some cases) it's just us encouraging themto grow up. But we can't encourage, we can't inquire, we just have to sit there a watch them run around looking for answers. They just slide on past.
By the way Marc, I beat you
Good topic and good thoughts, both of you girls! I am very impressed with your maturity. Keep it up! I will applaud your good choices.
Ok, well I think that the big problem is definitely in the influences, the role models, or the life styles that people see be it the media, music or even (like you said) the hatred in the schools. I think that another big issue is probably just the world we are growing up in. It is not frowned upon to be big and bad however it is frowned upon to be weak. I think that is what we are afraid of, to be weak. I think we live in a sick world. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But the challenge lies in overcoming that. To live an audacious, daring life. One that differs from everyone elses in that you're not out to make a scene of yourself. You're out to love and to live the life you are called to live.
P.S. Lydia, you beat me? I don't get it. And I miss you Jared!
usually you always somment people before me but this time i beat you ha ha haha (insert evil laugh here)
The title of this post was just something that I came up with, but no joke, this happened to me at school just today: two boys in my stduy hall were discussing what I would be like if I came to school on crack (really random I know) and one said, "you'd be really funny...I'd probably like you better!" I think he was kidding, but still oh the irony!!
worthy line of thought. reconsider some assumptions: Do people really feel good about being "bad"? What's the motivation/payoff for this behavior? What we think we're going to get out of it and what we actually get are very different - opposite, in fact. What do you think those things are that we pursue, and what do we actually catch?
Good point!
I completely agree that what is desired from trying to be "bad" and what is actually achieved are two totally different things. i am perfectly happy ot be a "goody-goody," I just wonder why no one had realized that the payoffs for being rough and tough aren't that great...there are plenty of examples out there of the negative consequences, why are people still seeking the approval (this acceptance isn't even really respect).
i think its becasue they are convinced they can't be accepted for who they really are. if your only shot at acceptance is to act a certain way, then at come point you will get desperate enough to try it. what is the role of the Christ-follower in this type of culture?
That one's easy. The role is to be accepting. Not like "it's okay if you worship Satan"--not like that, but accepting: "I love you anyway"--like that. Also, we need to be careful, we need to try and please God not our peers, so we must follow Jesus' example and try to be like him. Not like the world's "standard for acceptance."
"Today the process for many seems to be: you do something bad, you tell your friends, they pat you on the back, you feel good and are anxious to do it again."
You left out two steps: after feeling good the weight of what a crappy person you are becoming accumulates over time. Creeping death. Then, eventually, you look in the mirror and hate yourself. Til you quit looking in the mirror and look up...
Good blog, Chick
thanks...I agree with your two steps business... I think I left out the remorse part because it's the thing that is more difficult to see. I suppose that compassionately understanding that someone might feel bad about what thay are doing takes more than just pointing out that they're a sinner...plank in my eye...
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