It has often been observed that “ambiguity breeds anxiety.”
A lack of clear boundaries breeds anxiety.
An uncertainty about the future breeds anxiety.
The absence of absolutes breeds anxiety.
Even in the little details of life, when we have reliable information, be it good or bad, we can handle that much better than not knowing at all.
What happens to a generation that is faced with ambiguity at every turn? What happens to young people born into a world with fewer and fewer absolutes?
Kids today wonder whether global warming will destroy the earth during their lifetimes. They are faced with an increasing polarizing political scene that also breeds uncertainty. They don’t know if they’ll have a job waiting for them after college. They even wonder whether they are actually who they are (meaning, are they boys trapped in girls’ bodies, or vice versa).
And when they look to “progressive” religious leaders, the situation is no better. “We don’t want to be too dogmatic!”.....