The wisdom of classroom posters

 In sixth grade, there was a poster on the classroom wall similar to this one:

Of all the quotes I read on classroom walls, that one struck me in particular. If only we all took the advice we received from posters in grade school....

The quote is just as important to me now as it was then, if not more so. The world is filled with deceit, so all I can do is follow God's prompting....The Holy Spirit promises to guide us into all truth.

Even if everyone sings the praises of a particular person, that is no reflection of reality. The world applauds people like this:

Anthony "Gain-of-Function" Fauxi

Shill Gates

Kamala "Heelz Up" Harris

And the world rejects people such as Ron Paul, Larry Elder, and Jesus Christ Himself - people who actually make a positive difference.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another

Throughout my life there has been a painful pattern. The people closest to me have betrayed and abandoned me despite my pure intentions and efforts to be forgiving. Abuse is what I have received in return for kindness.

Other people seem to have no shortage of support, which I have never had...and no matter how much I pray, I haven't seen any significant changes.

Often I've wondered why. God created us with a need for fellowship, so why leave me in this situation? But now I'm beginning to understand....

God isn't to blame for the failures of people...and very few people today are loyal, kind, or virtuous in any capacity. People abused me because they're abusive; they betrayed me because they are untrustworthy. Most people are....We're living in end times, after all.

The plannedemic has made this abundantly clear. Families have been falling apart left and right over disagreements regarding the vax, lockdowns, and all the other nonsense. Since my family never spoke to me in the first place, that's one less issue I have to worry about. (Of course, they've all had the vax.)

Indeed, God knows the beginning from the end.

If evolution is true, why are we devolving?

Most people today hold the assumption that ancient people were less intelligent than we are now. That is one of the arguments atheists use for why belief in God is foolish for modern, scientifically minded people. However, what is accepted as a scientific fact today is discarded tomorrow...and in fact, evidence reveals that ancient people were actually quite advanced. Scientists are still puzzled by how the pyramids were built; the innovations of ancient civilizations are arguably much more brilliant than modern ones. Considering the direction in which humanity is headed today, are we really "improving?"

Musical Notation: Invented By Savages

Even the concept of evolution, which atheists like to use to discredit the Bible, has changed. In the 20th century, people believed in "the survival of the fittest." In the 21st century, the paradigm has shifted to "the survival of those who best adapt to the environment." What's next, "the survival of those who blindly acquiesce to the cult of scientism?" Again, are we really progressing?

The cost of "progress"

When a new technological invention becomes widely used, the world changes. The main purpose of technological progress is to make life easier, more comfortable. Cars transport us farther and faster than horses and buggies, and thanks to washing machines we no longer have to spend hours doing laundry (unless we put it off for several weeks, maybe).

Invention improves certain aspects of our lives, but at a cost...and at this point, the costs outweigh the benefits of most new innovations. The latest technology hasn't necessarily granted us more leisure time and less stress. In many ways it has made life more fast paced, overwhelming, and dystopian.

Postmoderns tend to think of technology as additive, simply providing more options to the ones we have, but it is actually transformative. Once a new invention is released in society, our way of life changes permanently. These changes have the potential to be positive or negative.

Faster and easier isn't always better. For instance, modern transportation created its own set of problems: drunk driving, pollution, a decline in people's fitness due to lack of exercise. The invention of the automobile literally changed the landscape of the world. Paved roads are such a common sight that my little cousin thought God created them along with animals and people.

California in particular has been built around the automobile. Buildings are sprawled out miles apart from each other, so a car is required to reach everywhere one needs to go. Older places such as New York and London have condensed layouts because they were built before the invention of automobiles. Their configurations allow for more walkability (and therefore fitness), as well as more opportunities for conversation. Owning a car offers many benefits, though I wonder if humanity would ultimately be better off living in more compact communities with slower modes of transportation - and no, I don't mean dystopian smart cities, but a relatively low tech way of life such as we had in the early 20th century.

Typical Californian Sprawl

 

Of course, what's done is done and we can't return to the past...but since new inventions radically change our lives, the environment, and the way we behave, we would be naive to think of technological progress as inherently good, embracing every new invention like kids in a candy store. There is sacrifice involved in exchange for the quick and easy. What are we willing to give up for the sake of "progress" - clean air, privacy, bodily autonomy?