The Paradox of Our Time

My 11-year old son, Ryan, will be celebrating his Confirmation this Spring. So, I am once again busy attending meetings to prepare him for this. During the first parents’ meeting, the catechetical coordinator read The Paradox of Our Time. She said that this was written by a student who had witnessed the Columbine shootings. But there is this website that claims otherwise.


The Paradox of Our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time;

We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.


Read more about The Paradox of Our Time at http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp

Aren’t they all true? Sad, but true.

These are the lines that struck me most, some apply to me and some I’m guilty of:

“We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time.”
“We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.”
“…stay up too late, get up too tired,..., watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.”
“These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare.”
“These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.”