The Looming 21st Century

The past 20th century has seen a lot of turmoil. We have lived through wars, terrorism, natural disaters, crises in faith, insurgence of atheism, extreme adaptations of feminism, a decrease in morality, and a general loss of respect for women -- not to forget a loss of respect for the elderly, the disabled, and the vulnerable (infants and children). We have also seen the deaths of many influential voices such as: G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Mahatma Ghandi, Dorothy Day, Catherine Doherty, Mother Theresa, and Pope John Paul II. Although we may have failed to acknowledge their accomplishments, their impact upon our society will continue to ripple for centuries to come.

The past 20th century has also seen many advances. We witnessed the first radio, television, computer, satellite, rocket ship, VCR, and cell-phone; we cannot forget the first man to the moon, the hand-held calculator, the walk-man and disk-man, as well as the development of DVDs and the insurgence of the "game-boy." Our technological advances have gone beyond anything that anyone could have imagined, and they continue to excel more than we could have hoped.

What do I expect form the 21st century, and why do I concider it to be 'looming'? I expect us to advance in ways that would continue to have a greater impact on how we live our lives. I expect that we will become more technologically advanced than even our greatest thinkers could have ever imagined. However, the future still seems to hover over us like a rising storm. As a society, our accomplishments happened so fast that we seem to have forgotten our past failures that have destroyed the lives of countless men and women. Failures that could have been avoided had we taken the time to listen.

We have developed so quickly that we seem to have ignored the counsels of the prophets of the 20th century, such as: G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Mahatma Ghandi, Dorothy Day, Catherine Doherty, Mother Theresa, and Pope John Paul II. We have sneered at their admonishments to respect all human life; we have held them in contempt as they warned us of the dangers of neglecting traditional moral norms. If we continue to have disdain for those who attempt to discipline us, our arrogance will lead us back to where the 20th century first started: a century born into turmoil.