Managing today’s dizzying transitions

TODAY’S world is getting increasingly dynamic, with more

developments taking place, changes, shifts and transitions occurring

in a galloping pace. They are going ballistic. We need to get a handle

on this phenomenon and know how to have effective control over it,

shaping it according to what is proper to our human dignity.

            Many parents, for example, come and complain to me that

their children behave very differently from what they expect their

children to act. I always tell them that this observation should be no

surprise, since they also must have behaved differently from the way

their parents did in their childhood years.

            But I must admit that due to today’s dizzying world, with

the children exposed to more things, not only in terms of quantity but

also in complexity, these young ones should behave very differently

indeed from those of their age in the previous generations.

            This obviously poses a challenge to all of us which we

should face with a stout heart and Christian optimism, learning how to

employ both old and new things, both the traditional and innovative

means.

            We should try to act out what the gospel says: “Every

scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a

householder, who brings forth out of his treasure new things and old.”

(Mt 13,52)

            To face this challenge, we all need to constantly monitor

things, discerning where they come from and where they are going, what

spirit and ethos animates them, what messages or warnings the signs of

the times are giving us. As much as possible, we have to be pro-active

or anticipative in this regard, not simply reactive.

            Our faith urges us to be always watchful. As Christ once

said, we need to be shrewd as serpents even as we also should remain

innocent as doves. We have to learn to contend with the reality that

while we may be sowing good seed, some bad elements will also sow

weeds. Yes, we have to be patient and strong, but not naïve.

            What is certainly helpful in this task is for us to be

firmly grounded on our faith, which gives us a complete picture of

what is truly proper to us, and at the same time, to be very

open-minded so we can promptly catch the winds of change and adjust

our sails according to a pre-determined course.

            We should try to avoid the extremes of mindless and

heartless rigidity, on the one hand, and undirected flexibility, on

the other. For sure, if we know our faith well, this is what we will

learn.

            Our faith teaches us to be constant in doing good, while

patient in going through the twists and turns of our freedom. We have

to learn how to flow with the times without getting lost. In a sense,

we should try to be sport in this task. We will make many attempts to

win in some way, but we should know how to move on even after some

defeats.

            Our faith will teach us to continue to evangelize the

world, always adapting our evangelization to the new sensitivities of

the people. “Non novus sed noviter,” we are told, preaching not new

things but in a new way.

            We can’t help but take our faith more seriously. We need

to sit down and meditate on it more deeply if only to fathom in some

way its mysteries and to see which truths of faith and how these

truths of our faith are applicable to a given situation. This is a

basic rule in prudence.

            We have to remember that our faith is the ultimate source

of truth and goodness about ourselves and the world in general. Our

estimations of what is true, good, fair and beautiful, as expressed in

our laws and our various consensus, should somehow be inspired by our

faith.

            It’s important that we all realize that while we will

always have our own particular view of things due to the differences

and variety of conditions and circumstances, we should try our best to

stick to what is essential to all of us, even as we give due space to

our differences of opinions, preferences, etc.

            In the real world, we can always expect some mess and

tension in carrying out this task. We should try not to make a big

fuss about it and just proceed to adapt ways that are more conducive

to respectful dialogue.

            In short, we have to get personal, entering into the mind

and heart of the people.