When I was a kid we lived on an army base in the PMQ,s (permanent married quarters) -- these were basically two-storey row houses. We were surrounded by kids and neighbors all the time. We never locked the doors and us kids were outside playing most of the day. It was a wonderful insulated safe place for kids and I have very fond memories of growing up.
Years later when I was all grown up in my late 20's, I went back to the place of my childhood. It was a very surreal experience. I felt like a giant in Lilliput -- the great townhouses and streets I had remembered were small and crowded. The long walk I made to school every day with my brother and sister and friends was actually only a few blocks away. Did somebody shrink my town?!
Perspective is everything. As we get older, time goes by faster. The long days of summer I used to experience as a child whiz by now at crazy speeds. The days go by so fast now, I never seem to have enough time to do all the things I want to do. I suppose in eternity the days will be endlessly long and our evenings will stretch out like a shadow, though for now, the clock of life ticks faster every year.
William Wordsworth was a lover of nature and spent countless hours wandering the highways and byways of Victorian England:
For I have learned To look on nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes The still, sad music of humanity, Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power To chasten and subdue. And I have felt A presence that disturbs me with the joy Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns...
I don't know if a powerful encounter with "something far more deeply interfused" is enough to satisfy the cravings of today's youth. Is our current "lost generation" capable or interested in being found?
Recent studies have shown that millennials have declining religious affiliation compared to the rest of the population. 35% of people in USA now claim no religious affiliation while with millennials the figure is getting closer to half at 44%. We have to qualify this because USA doesn't represent the world.
However, in Europe the numbers are even higher: The survey of 16- to 29-year-olds found the Czech Republic is the least religious country in Europe, with 91% of that age group saying they have no religious affiliation. Between 70% and 80% of young adults in Estonia, Sweden and the Netherlands also categorize themselves as non-religious.
For atheists and humanists, this is great news. For those of us less inclined to appreciate the sucking sound created by the non-religious vacuum, it's sobering news. What does it mean for Christianity and for religion in general when faith is dying?
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