Age of What?

Centuries have passed since my hero stained that tree with his own blood, endured the shame and then died with a punishment meant for slaves and criminals. It was the birth of hope. The nails that wounded his hands marked the beginning of another covenant. That was a couple of thousand years ago. And now I’m reading through the pages of history.

Centuries. Eras. Periods. Ages. But as I’m reading through the pages of history and at the same time comparing it to the present world, it’s sad to notice that people seemed to become more interested on less important things about life. The people then were so curious about the truth. Today, we don’t care if it’s true or not, as long as it promotes temporal pleasure. In the past, wars erupt to reveal truth. Today, wars ignite because of mistakes. The greater our weapons for massive destruction are, the lesser our reasons for killing lives.

True wisdom is fading. I shared this insight to a friend, and she asked me to explain why. Man, a little child can tell if his father has changed. But for me to explain the great difference between the early centuries and today is another thing. Dr. Bruce Shelley wrote a book two-inches-thick about it and still admits his masterpiece is not that adequate. So I formulated a simple but striking answer, and maybe a punch for vanity. Here it is:

Age of Reformation, Age of Reason and Revival, Age of Progress,
Age of Ideologies; these were the development of history. What
would you call our age today? Age of fashion? Age of Sexual
Immorality? Age of Hollywood? Or here in our country, Age of Media,
Soap Operas and Lame Reality TV Shows? Age of Bob Ong?
Age of Camera-Conscious Politicians? Come on…
You can tell the huge difference.

Philip Slater, a psychologist, once said in his book entitled The Pursuit of Loneliness, “we seek for more and more privacy, and feel more and more alienated and lonely when we get it”. We compete rather than cooperate; we avoid rather engage; we play it “cool” and thereby make the world a little “colder”.
I’ll leave you thinking with two choices: Will you continue to be unaware or ignorant about the way of this sick, cursed and fallen world, and play it cool as you enjoy its fleeting pleasures? Or will you stand up with a spirit of revival and break the chains of slavery that holds you from knowing the Truth and gaining eternal pleasures?