Recently, I was reading over an assignment I had given to my World History class about Sociology and media's influence on our American society. While reading student's answers I was led to a deeper reflection on our culture. It was truly ironic to see the direct media influence on my student's answers about media influence.
An example of this observation is as follows (assignment question/ common student answer):
What does a celebrity value? Individualism, or doing what makes them feel good.
What are the positive/ negative effects of these celebrities? Doing good things is a positive effect, and doing bad things is a negative effect.
...hmmm let's think about the dichotomy of these answers for a moment...
It is amazing to me how quickly teenagers miss this hole in their thinking, I simply ask them: What about that person who decides that what makes them who they are/ what gives them pleasure is to murder and steal? Would you then advocate their "individuality"?
Now, there is nothing wrong with desiring to be different than others (Jesus Christ himself stood apart from the people of Jerusalem) and finding pleasure in good things, but the problem resides in the misconception that all things that lead to pleasure are good. This is a classic case of relativism.
I continue to be amazed by students who can identify the difference between good and bad, yet do not see the necessity to recognize who the criteria to good/bad belongs to. A student may concede to say in response to my question: "Well, so long as their individuality is good, then they can express their individuality." But, again, who dictates the difference between good & bad? Do you, as an observer, chose to define good & bad? Okay, maybe you do, but then who is to say that person, the doer, who wants to steal and kill can't define stealing and killing as good then?
Without objective truth, whose truth do we have? We have no truth, because truth does not exist. Truth cannot be both the observer and doers definitions. It is no longer truth.
Now I'm getting ahead of myself. I am not as well versed as Peter Kreeft, Chris Stefanick, and the Holy Father on issues of relativism. They do an extraordinary job of this. Read their work!!
What I have just observed is a mere reflection on our society as a whole, and continues to encourage me to make the choices I make every day to live my life in light of Truth Himself. There is no grey matter in the matters of Christ.
"Slowly but surely, however, it would become evident that the light of autonomous (self-government) reason is not enough to illumine the future; ultimately the future remains shadowy and fraught with fear of the unknown... Yet in the absence of light everything becomes confused; it is impossible to tell good from evil, or the road to our destination from other roads which take us in endless circles, going nowhere... The light of faith is unique, since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence...Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives." -Pope Francis (Lumen Fidei)
Christ, the Word, the true lamp (Psalm 119:105) that guides my feet along this path of life, has the power to illumine the darkness. He has the power to give light to even the crevices along my journey. So that even my suffering has a purpose. In His light do I find life. He is my redemption.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20
May this find you in God's light and love. God Bless you.
