11-13-2016, 11:11 AM
Today, many of us are living in a state of atrophy. We wonder what we are living for. Is life just about work, making money, building an empire, having a car and a house, going for holidays? Is there nothing more to life than simply eating, enjoying and having pleasure? This life with so much suffering, injustice and tragedy does not seem worth living. Not only that; there is so much irony in this life too. Big house, small family; advance medicine, poor health; More degrees, less common sense; Touched moon, neighbours unknown; high income, less peace of mind; more knowledge, less wisdom; high IQ, less emotions; multiple affairs, no true love; lots of virtual friends, no real friends; costly watches, no time; more alcohol less water; lots of human, less humanity. Maybe we should just return the ticket back to God!
What is the cause of this state that we have arrived at? I believe this is due to the disconnect between the present and the future brought about by secularism. With secularism, the rejection of God and eternity has resulted in materialism, consumerism and relativism. When there is no future, what else can man hope for if not the present?
But if we just live in the present, after some time, we would wonder what life is all about. Once our bodily needs are satisfied, we will get bored again. Whether we believe we have a spirit or not, the truth is that even when we have acquired all the things of this world, enjoyed all we can, our hearts will remain empty and life meaningless. Call it our spirit or by any other name, we know that we need more than things, we need love and meaning. Without love, life is empty. Without meaning, especially unconditional meaning, we can never live passionately. The result is disillusionment, atrophy, hopelessness, despair. When money, power, status, and things no longer attract us, what else is there to live for?
On the other hand, we have the other group of people that incidentally is part of the cause of those who only want to live in the present. This is the group who live only in the future. Like the disciples in the gospel, they are always concerned about life after death, the end of the world and the future of humanity. They indulge in speculation – of the date of the end of the world. They promote visions and promises of prophets warning them that the world is coming to an end. Their mind is always about the coming of God’s kingdom and the destruction of the world. They live in fear and anxiety. If ever they come back to God, it is because of the fear of punishment as the scriptures often mentioned. Everything would be destroyed.
Those who live in this mode have a disdain of the present. They feel that this life is going nowhere. This is an evil world and so the only way for God to redeem us is to bring this world to an end. Only a New Heaven and a New Earth can bring about justice and peace. As far as they are concerned, this world is going to the dogs.
Between these two groups, we have another group that lives in the past. Unable to cope with the present life, the stress and the demands of the modern world, they go back to the past. Instead of living in the future, they wallow in the nostalgia of the good old days. Thinking of the past provides them some consolation but if they are not careful, they too will fall into a melancholic and depressive state. Their mode of thinking is, “it could have been!” Living in the past will do us no good because we become misfits in society. We will eventually be left behind and rot.
How then should we live our life if we want to live meaningfully and enthusiastically? We need to live for the future in the present. The present and the future must be held in tension at all times. Yet, it is not so much a tension as they are mutually complementary. The reality is that there is no lasting kingdom in this life. There is no true justice on this earth because life is not fair. Nothing on this earth can last as they are all passing. Even our relationships will come to an end on earth. Realizing this, we cannot simply be living for the present. Whatever we do, our achievements, our successes, wealth and power would have to be left behind when we die. Those things that we worked on might not even last long after our demise. Thinking of the transient nature of this life on earth can lead us to give up hope, purpose and meaning.
But our hope in the future should not take us away from living fully today. This is because the future is determined in some ways by today.
The best way to prepare ourselves for the future is to be responsible in the present. When we do what we have to do, according to our responsibilities and calling in life, and faithfully carry out our tasks, we will grow in maturity, in truth and in love. By facing the challenges of daily life as mentioned in the gospel, whether it is of suffering, tragedy, wars, natural catastrophe, we will mature in love; grow in perfection, in grace and in truth.
here
What is the cause of this state that we have arrived at? I believe this is due to the disconnect between the present and the future brought about by secularism. With secularism, the rejection of God and eternity has resulted in materialism, consumerism and relativism. When there is no future, what else can man hope for if not the present?
But if we just live in the present, after some time, we would wonder what life is all about. Once our bodily needs are satisfied, we will get bored again. Whether we believe we have a spirit or not, the truth is that even when we have acquired all the things of this world, enjoyed all we can, our hearts will remain empty and life meaningless. Call it our spirit or by any other name, we know that we need more than things, we need love and meaning. Without love, life is empty. Without meaning, especially unconditional meaning, we can never live passionately. The result is disillusionment, atrophy, hopelessness, despair. When money, power, status, and things no longer attract us, what else is there to live for?
On the other hand, we have the other group of people that incidentally is part of the cause of those who only want to live in the present. This is the group who live only in the future. Like the disciples in the gospel, they are always concerned about life after death, the end of the world and the future of humanity. They indulge in speculation – of the date of the end of the world. They promote visions and promises of prophets warning them that the world is coming to an end. Their mind is always about the coming of God’s kingdom and the destruction of the world. They live in fear and anxiety. If ever they come back to God, it is because of the fear of punishment as the scriptures often mentioned. Everything would be destroyed.
Those who live in this mode have a disdain of the present. They feel that this life is going nowhere. This is an evil world and so the only way for God to redeem us is to bring this world to an end. Only a New Heaven and a New Earth can bring about justice and peace. As far as they are concerned, this world is going to the dogs.
Between these two groups, we have another group that lives in the past. Unable to cope with the present life, the stress and the demands of the modern world, they go back to the past. Instead of living in the future, they wallow in the nostalgia of the good old days. Thinking of the past provides them some consolation but if they are not careful, they too will fall into a melancholic and depressive state. Their mode of thinking is, “it could have been!” Living in the past will do us no good because we become misfits in society. We will eventually be left behind and rot.
How then should we live our life if we want to live meaningfully and enthusiastically? We need to live for the future in the present. The present and the future must be held in tension at all times. Yet, it is not so much a tension as they are mutually complementary. The reality is that there is no lasting kingdom in this life. There is no true justice on this earth because life is not fair. Nothing on this earth can last as they are all passing. Even our relationships will come to an end on earth. Realizing this, we cannot simply be living for the present. Whatever we do, our achievements, our successes, wealth and power would have to be left behind when we die. Those things that we worked on might not even last long after our demise. Thinking of the transient nature of this life on earth can lead us to give up hope, purpose and meaning.
But our hope in the future should not take us away from living fully today. This is because the future is determined in some ways by today.
The best way to prepare ourselves for the future is to be responsible in the present. When we do what we have to do, according to our responsibilities and calling in life, and faithfully carry out our tasks, we will grow in maturity, in truth and in love. By facing the challenges of daily life as mentioned in the gospel, whether it is of suffering, tragedy, wars, natural catastrophe, we will mature in love; grow in perfection, in grace and in truth.
here