We Are A Culture On The Brink
We have moved from a period in which little Samuel said, “speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth,” to one in which we now say, “Listen, Lord, for thy servant speaketh.” Our American culture has become so enamored, even consumed, with the importance of “self” that we’ve made idols out of personal gain and fulfillment. Americans are ever seeking after “the things of this world,” to the degree, in fact, that we have as a culture forgotten the basic truths that our ancestors took for granted. We have forgotten the importance of living altruistic lives, of living for the ultimate good of all, rather than the limiting scope of our personal, materialistic needs.
We have forgotten the importance of making provision for future generations, whether it be in saving the environment for those who will follow us, or in passing on those beliefs and values that make for a civilized society. Our children are no longer taught a value system that is based on the Christian concept that there is a Truth that should govern our every action. Our educational system has abandoned young people to moral relativism, leaving them rudderless in a sea of too many options.
We do not teach our children the importance of living altruistic lives, where the good of the whole comes first, failing, as we are, to pass on a foundation by which they can govern their lives in the light of the Gospels. Television programing, violent video games, easy access to pornography online, and movies filled with sex and violence, have impacted our nation like the assault of an enemy army, and we’ve failed to act.
As a nation we are under spiritual attack and have failed to take notice. Our spiritual weapons gather dust, while we hope for the best, but do nothing to prepare our youth for victory. Relativism reigns, while Truth is forgotten, and our nation stands on the brink, having become powerless to withstand a spiritual attack it does not understand.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
About the author
Fr. Tryphon is the Abbot of the Monastery of the All-Merciful Saviour, which was established in 1986 by Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) of blessed memory. The Monastery is under the omophore of His Eminence Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
