i definatly aggre with this however i too fall guilty of sticking to the internet.I usally find my self on the computer and listing to ipod 24-7. When in realty there is so much that I'm missing out on. I should stop reling so much on the internet to sovle all of my problems, and rather face them in the real world and gain expriance and knowledge. When I take more time out to reconize the world and all it has to offer besides computers, ipods and cell phones, i will beocme more gratefull and turn more to religon to thank God for all that i have which will make me a closer follwer of God.

I'm in highschool and this is deffinetly true. Kids my age only stick to computer screens and or Ipods. They are always getting what they want so easily. I shouldnt be talking becuase im on the computer alot. We need to step away and maybe check out the real world outside the confines of your computer. Our generation needs to figure out life without the easy ways of internet and many other things.

I'm in highschool and this is deffinetly true. Kids my age only stick to computer screens and or Ipods. They are always getting what they want so easily. I shouldnt be talking becuase im on the computer alot. We need to step away and maybe check out the real world outside the confines of your computer. Our generation needs to figure out life without the easy ways of internet and many other things.

This generation is not so different from those previous with many who out of laziness prefer the theology of institutionalized religions to the work of creating their own convictions, independently, through critical thought. The history of abuses of power of church elite can no longer be kept from common knoweledge by censorship, nevertheless we teach our young to plan their future by the guidance of others without regard to agenda, and to drive forward forever looking in the rear-view mirror of yesterday's thinking, despite proven ignorance and supersition, for guidance. Sheep for the fleecing.

Some are able to use tools for needs and not become part of the tool. While ipods and computers are nifty toys and great for getting work done, if you feel like you "need" them, you may have been stolen from your own identity. "OMG" then you are a perfect candidate for the tenticles of religion. Get on your computer and research religion, history and you will not be so eager to surrender to another master. Then turn off the electric devices and do some yard work or engage in a conversation with someone. Religion is an invention of humans to come to grips with the inate morality that we evolved with.

Some are able to use tools for needs and not become part of the tool. While ipods and computers are nifty toys and great for getting work done, if you feel like you "need" them, you may have been stolen from your own identity. "OMG" then you are a perfect candidate for the tenticles of religion. Get on your computer and research religion, history and you will not be so eager to surrender to another master. Then turn off the electric devices and do some yard work or engage in a conversation with someone. Religion is an invention of humans to come to grips with the inate morality that we evolved with.

Halozcel: It was a *joke*..

And as an afterthought:

"If you are looking for life's meaning, a blog dominated by sour people is a bad place to find out..."

A retreat might work though.

*Why does man kill? He kills for food.And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage(or finest blended scotch,Balantines).
And man frequently kills for only *one word*,*Filioque*,the struggle and war between Cattholic and Orthodox from 1054 till Invasion of Mongolians.

And man(woman) frequently kills for *persecutions*,Mary Tudor kills John Rogers(such as many others).

And man frequently kills for *beautiful woman*,Claudius kills his brother for his wife Gertrude(Hamlet).

And man frequently kills for *new marriage*,Anna Boleyn beheaded by Henry VIII(for Jane Seymour).

And man frequently kills for *money*,Michael Douglas tried to kill his wife in *Perfect Murder* film,but Gywanyt Paltrow killed him.

And man frequently kills for *throne*,like Macbeth,
Producing forth the cruel ministers
Of this dead butcher,and his fiend-like queen,
Who,as 'tis thought,by self and violent hands.

If you are looking for life's meaning, a blog dominated by sour people is not the place to find out.

Blogs and the types of exchages really demonstrate a high level of Faceless bravado. So drafting my own response is questionable in itself. For the stone throwers in the above...a little food for thought. I find many can not differentiate the church institution from what is the holy - or faith. If you find yourself bashing the institution and the memebers of it...your missing the point of faith, God and church and worship on general.

I agree with the premise of this article, I feel that all of todays society could use a little more moral fiber and conscience. I see this country at large working towards the common good of self more than the common good of all. the lack of God's love in peoples heart enables this. the media at large supports this Godless self serving attitude in all the realality tv, desperate housewives Souless expierences they provide. then we upload it to YouTube to watch it again and again. Pray

Lighten up, Elizabeth! Thomas Fiendman (whoops! Friedman) says a lot of things, never any of them very nice if you happen not to agree with him. I can't stand the man, never could, what a pontificator. If I want real pontification, well, we've got a real Pope. Give my the Holy Father anyday!

Let's see: for Jean Poole

Do you realize how bigoted your bilge reads? And all those caps too.

For all:

Every generation wants to discover the meaning of everything. Why are we here? How did we get here? Why is Jean mean? And prejudice is bad enough but why in CAPITAL LETTERS?

I know the answer to one.

Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage.

(I didn't say that. Woody Allen did.)

Norrie Hoyt,

*Adderall(a mixture of amphetamine salts) is said to be good for attention-deficit disorder*

Dear Lawyer,
If she begins to use what you advice,recommend on her young age,it may be too *salty* later,after 10 or 15 years.
To me,if she listens Elvis Presley *blue suede shoes* or views film *City of Angels* of Meg Ryan can be better.

Anyone who thinks of the Catholic Church as "an unchanging beacon of truth in a changing world" is completely ignorant of Catholic history. If words the Renaissance, 30 Years War, Counter Reformation, Inquisition, Vatican II and the Italian Reunification mean nothing to you, then you have no business pontificating about church giving meaning to life.

You can't invent meaning, and people have quit religion because they find it as hollow and meaningless as iPods and Netflix. At least your plasma TV doesn't pretend to hold eternal salvation.

"My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living."

First, every generation of youth experiences the same thing. Your suggestion that everyone suddenly needs to be pulled towards religion, however, shows an astounding lack of imagination as to what 'meaning' is.

Not everyone needs to believe in the Easter Bunny (or his relative) to find meaning.

"My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living."

First, every generation of youth experiences the same thing. Your suggestion that everyone suddenly needs to be pulled towards religion, however, shows an astounding lack of imagination as to what 'meaning' is.

What a wonderful blog from Ms. Tenety. I enjoyed hearing the hyper-magical (hats off to e e cummings - don't spell check the one, kids) speed at which she channels the frustration of many of her peers. And the still-younger ones, well, who knows what issues they'll face. But the more things change the more they'll fundamentally stay the same.

Making me smile on a Sunday night (the Monday morning blues are just around the bend), even at the frustration and vexation of someone younger and still not completely jaded. keep the faith, for whatever it's worth.

This is probably the most sophomoric exchange I've ever seen. The few of the Post's editors who bother to even know of this page probably don't care. But it's all just a monument to cynicism.

Do you realize for even a minute that the only reason for this page's existence is manipulative marketing of the Washington Post. The Washington Post Corporation values you as their advertisers' lucrative target market. The Post could not care at all about your thoughts. Geez, you are naive.

This is probably the most sophomoric exchange I've ever seen. The few of the Post's editors who bother to even know of this page probably don't care. But it's all just a monument to cynicism.

Do you realize for even a minute that the only reason for this page's existence is manipulative marketing of the Washington Post. Geez, you are naive.

"lack the depth of knowledge that coming of age in a slower world may have cultivated"

Truer words were never spoken. All of your articles have no validity, relevant news content, and are are just the ramblings of someone who hasn't actually experienced the world that the rest of us live in. GROW UP FIRST, then write something worthwhile, you spoiled brat.

"The Catholic Church understands itself (herself) as an unchanging beacon of truth in a changing world. "

That's right. When Church members are not busy grifting money and power from its hypnotized followers, burning people at the stake, or boinking little boys and covering up their crimes, they understand themselves.

PLEASE READ A HISTORY BOOK before talking your fabricated rubbish.

PS. Have a nice day.

"lack the depth of knowledge that coming of age in a slower world may have cultivated"

Truer words were never spoken. All of your articles have no validity, relevant news content, and are are just the ramblings of someone who hasn't actually experienced the world that the rest of us live in. GROW UP FIRST, then write something worthwhile, you spoiled brat.

"The Catholic Church understands itself (herself) as an unchanging beacon of truth in a changing world. "

That's right. When Church members are not busy grifting money and power from its hypnotized followers, burning people at the stake, or boinking little boys and covering up their crimes, they understand themselves.

PLEASE READ A HISTORY BOOK before talking your fabricated rubbish.

PS. Have a nice day.

Anonymous:
Very insightful. I think you are right. People always poo on change, technological or generational, when it has not had a chance to show its advantages. There is adjustment required but constant adjustment is the human experience, no? Nice post.

Everyone's generalizations regarding my generation and the previous one are laughable and bankrupt. There is nothing new under the sun, least of all human nature. With a time machine I could find you a law student in 1807 who is practically the same as me in 2007.

Elizabeth writes: "My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living."

Elizabeth has caught a whiff of something here, but presumably her hyper busy mind has failed to grasp it completely.

And that is, that the future is already here.

How so? Take any political philosophy or ideology or even idea which fires up the average generation Y member. Al Gore or Al Qaida, global warming or global trade, freedom of speech or political correctness.. All are issues and questions which require disciplined application of the mind, and dedication which goes beyond the occasional blog posting.

Take any philosophy or ideology which originated before the "net era" and which shaped the world we live in now: Feminism, human rights, racial equality, rise of the religious right, rise and fall of communism: If it were upto the generation Y, these would be nothing more than a phenomenal internet sensation, with everyone jockeying for their 15 minutes - tera bytes of blogs and the occasional latte sipping protester holding a placard. Nothing like the millions on the march braving bullets or tens of thousands quietly and determinedly risking conventional wisdom and censure while sharpening legal and philosophical swords.

The problem is not that generation Y has nothing to believe in - the problem is that they believe in absolutely everything, all at the same time, and therefore have little energy left to do anything substantial in any particular area of their belief.

Unchanging? Unchanging is right... somehow I doubt the best solution to a frazzled or overstimulated culture is to revert back to consuming magical doses of blood and flesh in the form of crackers and grape juice. For goodness sake, doesn't the catholic church have enough on its plate trying to educate couples about sex via abstinent priests, or keeping pedophiles and self-repressed hypocrites out of the clergy? "Tradition" is not necessarily "good".

Elizabeth writes: "My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living."

Elizabeth has caught a whiff of something here, but presumably her hyper busy mind has failed to grasp it completely.

And that is, that the future is already here.

How so? Take any political philosophy or ideology or even idea which fires up the average generation Y member. Al Gore or Al Qaida, global warming or global trade, freedom of speech or political correctness.. All are issues and questions which require disciplined application of the mind, and dedication which goes beyond the occasional blog posting.

Take any philosophy or ideology which originated before the "net era" and which shaped the world we live in now: Feminism, human rights, racial equality, rise of the religious right, rise and fall of communism: If it were upto the generation Y, these would be nothing more than a phenomenal internet sensation, with everyone jockeying for their 15 minutes - tera bytes of blogs and the occasional latte sipping protester holding a placard. Nothing like the millions on the march braving bullets or tens of thousands quietly and determinedly risking conventional wisdom and censure while sharpening legal and philosophical swords.

The problem is not that generation Y has nothing to believe in - the problem is that they believe is absolutely everything, all at the same time, and therefore have little energy left to do anything substantial in any particular area of their belief.

"My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living."

There's nothing meaningless about our lives; certainly we don't read or attend church (or vote) like our parents or grandparents did, but to argue that the internet correlates with a lack of meaning is just the same old argument about the corrosive and stultifying effect of technology. People have been arguing that since the 19th century.

We do have concentration problems. And we are a bit politically disconnected, but for immensely valid reasons. We are far, far less aimless than the children of the 60s, for whom aimless experimentalism became synonymous with revolutionary social change. Once those in their 20s and early 30s have the opportunity to replace the boomers, the positives of our level of connectivity will become more apparent.

Fran Taylor:
"We should substitute one form of brain-washing for another? How about going outside and enjoying mother nature? There is a whole beautiful world out there, and you can't see it from the inside of a church or with an iPod."

Good point. Never felt the need to pray. When I go out for a run or a walk in the woods I always return feeling better -- both physically and mentally -- than I did before the activity. I haven't divorced myself from the world of technology that offers instant access to many areas, good and bad, but haven't become a slave to it or to religion.

Just think of the terrible deeds done in the name of god over the centuries. The believers are still at it. Makes no difference what they call themselves: Catholics and other Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus.

Sorry for the multiple posts. After 5 minutes of waiting, I stopped the process and started over. Again, after a few minutes, I stopped the process and started over. That time, it took only seconds (as it should) for the post to be acknowledged. Again, sorry for the multiple posts.

The baby boomer generation was failed by its parents, who practically worshipped Dr. Spock, the originator of the idea that children should not be frustrated. Those children passed that philosophy on to their children, so that today, there is almost no way to make a child do or not do anything. Stand the child in a corner? What if he refuses? Send him to his room? What if he refuses to go? Deprive him of television, computer, and/or telephone? He goes to school; he'll go after school to a friend's house and make use of all the electronics he wants to make use of. Ground him and confine him to home? What if he refuses to stay home? What can a parent do then?

Schools are so bad these days that if children don't do their homework and refuse to go to class, they pass anyway because it might be harmful to their little egos to fail at something as important as education.

At this point, parents throw up their hands in despair, because it is illegal to impose corporal punishment on a child. Hence, the child grows up knowing nothing can stop him from what he wants to do, he becomes afraid of his own capabilities, and then spends his life in front of the computer, tv, video game, and/or cell phone.

And what can church do about this? Not one single thing. Church cannot instill in a child something that child's parents are willing to let him grow up without and indeed, help and/or allow him to grow up without: A sense of personal worth and a sense of ethics and values of SOME kind.

It will get worse before it gets better.

The baby boomer generation was failed by its parents, who practically worshipped Dr. Spock, the originator of the idea that children should not be frustrated. Those children passed that philosophy on to their children, so that today, there is almost no way to make a child do or not do anything. Stand the child in a corner? What if he refuses? Send him to his room? What if he refuses to go? Deprive him of television, computer, and/or telephone? He goes to school; he'll go after school to a friend's house and make use of all the electronics he wants to make use of. Ground him and confine him to home? What if he refuses to stay home? Schools are so bad these days that if children don't do their homework and refuse to go to class, they pass anyway because it might be harmful to their little egos to fail at something as important as education.

At this point, parents throw up their hands in despair, because it is illegal to impose corporal punishment on a child. Hence, the child grows up knowing nothing can stop him from what he wants to do, he becomes afraid of his own capabilities, and then spends his life in front of the computer, tv, video game, and/or cell phone.

And what can church do about this? Not one single thing. Church cannot instill in a child something that child's parents are willing to let him grow up without and indeed, help and/or allow him to grow up without: A sense of personal worth and a sense of ethics and values of SOME kind.

It will get worse before it gets better.

The baby boomer generation was failed by its parents, who practically worshipped Dr. Spock, the originator of the idea that children should not be frustrated. Those children passed that philosophy on to their children, so that today, there is almost no way to make a child do or not do anything. Stand the child in a corner? What if he refuses? Send him to his room? What if he refuses to go? Deprive him of television, computer, and/or telephone? He goes to school; he'll go after school to a friend's house and make use of all the electronics he wants to make use of. Ground him and confine him to home? What if he refuses to stay home? Schools are so bad these days that if children don't do their homework and refuse to go to class, they pass anyway because it might be harmful to their little egos to fail at something as important as education.

At this point, parents throw up their hands in despair, because it is illegal to impose corporal punishment on a child. Hence, the child grows up knowing nothing can stop him from what he wants to do, he becomes afraid of his own capabilities, and then spends his life in front of the computer, tv, video game, and/or cell phone.

And what can church do about this? Not one single thing. Church cannot instill in a child something that child's parents are willing to let him grow up without and indeed, help and/or allow him to grow up without. A sense of personal worth and a sense of ethics and values of SOME kind.

It will get worse before it gets better.

Elizabeth writes:

My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living.

Leaving open the question of why she's looking to religion, of course. Theocratic indoctrination runs deep, I guess. How can "meaning," let alone intentionality, come from a non-existent sky god?

Whether the various authoritarian hierarchies that claim to represent their various gods are capable of recognizing or transmitting any such meaning is a different though related related question. Given the ongoing problems that both Catholics and fundies have with "intentional" child abuse, I'm guessing No.

Comments of JAMES HARE & BOOMERSSUCK may be taken as one. Both describe actions & effects of the American Taliban (AT) composed of Dobson, Falwell, Robertson, Haggard, et al.

The AT and their ilk fund the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) whose purposeful mission is to insert the AT doctrine into public law at all levels.

The AT hijacks religion and turns it into a money machine, scaring people half to death about gay marriage, abortion, prayer in schools, etc, and gullible followers send the AT hundreds of millions of dollars to 'fight the good fight' on behalf of 'all that is holy and right' in America.

The AT uses that money to funds efforts that not only tell, but intend to force your compliance with their views, e.g., the AT had weekly phone conferences with Bush & Rove to pick Supreme Court justices who will vote to overturn Roe v Wade. These vicious old men seek to control the bodies, and lives, of all women, and indirectly, of men as well.

IMO, there is a good possibility that the recent law in GA that snared Genarlow Wilson is the very sort of law these extremists seek to stick into legal codes everywhere, the criminalization of "non-procreation sex" (translation: fun sex).

You'd better believe the AT and pals do NOT mean you well. They seek to turn the USA into THEIR theocracy just as the Taliban used THEIR radical interpretation of Islam to turn Afghanistan into a theocracy of their own, rather bloody, definition.

Many decades ago, when blowhard preachers stirred up the masses with incendiary nonsense and fearmongering, author Sinclair Lewis said, "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.”

Substitute Liberty University for 'flag' and AT for 'cross' and then couple that with a moral-less white house that panders to the AT and spys on our citizens, and you have our present dangerous situation. Radical fundies with law degrees from Liberty U are now employed across the Dept of Justice (and similar state agencies) carrying out the agenda set for them by their AT masters. (Google up the current fight in KS, where AT poster boy Phil Cline seeks to carry out the AT agenda and defund Planned Parenthood at the national level. This should scare everyone.)

The election of 2008 cannot get here fast enough for me. We need to purge our government of these radical fundie moles so that it reverts to a neutral entity in observance of the Constitutional mandate for separation of church and state. The AT and ADF are a danger to us all.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged. I don't judge anyone in a church."

Honey, you just wrote four paragraphs doing exactly that.

Why do you believe you have no control over your own behavior? What is the fear that drives your mania? Media companies and advertisers make money every time you click, watch, link, etc. That's why they subtly and overtly coerce and convince you to "stay connected". Eventually you come to believe that you have no meaning or value unless you answer the siren call of endless information - all of it ad supported and revenue generating. Information is not knowledge. Don't be afraid to turn it off occasionally, step away and enjoy the quiet within yourself. You might find God there.

I sure am sick of older people who weren't born into this world trying to lecture our generation on our "behavior." You people who f*ked the world have no idea what it is like. You baby boomers sucked the meaning from the world, created this culture of consumerism. Oh, and in case you haven't heard, our schools are shite. After all, to continue this corporate imperialism, the masses have to be dumb, don't they?

The "Church" as is appears to be a large group of individuals more concerned about gay marriage and abortion than saving souls. Never mind that making abortion illegal won't stop abortions -- the forced pregnancy lobby just wants to make sure poor women get abortions in an unsafe manner.

There is no place for any right-thinking person in any church these days -- they're too filled with people who are far too sure of their goodness.

Judge not, lest ye be judged. I don't judge anyone in a church, but you're not getting me into one until "Christians" start acting like they've actually read the Bible and are trying to do God's work. Right now I see a bunch of judgmental freaks who think the world is theirs to decide for.

That, and "evangelizing" is creepy. Keep your God to yourself. Jesus about said as much, asking that people pray in private and keep their faith between themselves and God. Of course, there's not the opportunity for sweet sweet sanctimony if you go that path.

"My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living." I am always baffled by the assumption that "meaning" and "intentional living" are only possible through the exercise of religion. Meaning and intentional living abound in the non-religious life as well and are not exclusive to religion.

It is also incorrect to say that "the world only has the meaning you give it." This is and has always been a fundamentally incorrect philosophy as Norrie stated. Meaning arises in the relationship between an organism and the features of its environment without cognitive mediation being necessary. That we can make cognitive attributions does not mean that is the only source of meaning.

I'm waiting and waiting for your generation to do anything of import. The internet you use, SMS, IM and all the other technology are baby boomer inventions. The fact that you are a female who can do anything you want is a boomer convention. Good for you that you've found a way to go to church while you text with your girlfriends. But what will you do?

Maybe _your_ brain works that way. Please do not presume to speak for me or an entire generation. I resent being described as "desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living." Grinding through grad school and maintaining a relationship provide all the intentional living and meaning I require.

Why do you believe you have no control over your own behavior? What is the fear that drives your mania? Media companies and advertisers make money every time you click, watch, link, etc. That's why they subtly and overtly coerce and convince you to "stay connected". Eventually you come to believe that you have no meaning or value unless you answer the siren call of endless information - all of it ad supported and revenue generating. Information is not knowledge. Don't be afraid to turn it off occasionally, step away and enjoy the quiet within yourself. You might find God there.

We should substitute one form of brain-washing for another? How about going outside and enjoying mother nature? There is a whole beautiful world out there, and you can't see it from the inside of a church or with an iPod.

"My generation is desperate to be caught, to be pulled back in to a world of meaning and intentional living."

The world is, and always has been, a kaleidoscope. It has only the meaning that you give to it.

There wasn't any more of a world of meaning, or externally-imposed intentional living in the 1950's and 1960's than there is now, except for the military draft. [I was in college and law school then.]

By the way, Adderall (a mixture of amphetamine salts) is said to be good for attention-deficit disorder.

Regards.

I've often felt that way. We constantly need stimulation, or we feel bored.

I read a book while I'm watching TV, and blogging. I listen to music and do situps during commercial breaks.
I, too, search for meaning by studying the ancient.
One of my goals is to run a primitive living school, eventually. I think that as our generation gets older and takes more responsibility, we're going to need to spend some time unplugged from our iPods, and maybe even leave the cell phone at home once in a while.

Then again, I carry a messenger bag with a Pocket PC, a digital camera, and an iPod everywhere I go.

I've often felt that way. We constantly need stimulation, or we feel bored.

I read a book while I'm watching TV, and blogging. I listen to music and do situps during commercial breaks.
I, too, search for meaning by studying the ancient.
One of my goals is to run a primitive living school, eventually. I think that as our generation gets older and takes more responsibility, we're going to need to spend some time unplugged from our iPods, and maybe even leave the cell phone at home once in a while.

Then again, I carry a messenger bag with a Pocket PC, a digital camera, and an iPod everywhere I go.

I've often felt that way. We constantly need stimulation, or we feel bored.

I read a book while I'm watching TV, and blogging. I listen to music and do situps during commercial breaks.
I, too, search for meaning by studying the ancient.
One of my goals is to run a primitive living school, eventually. I think that as our generation gets older and takes more responsibility, we're going to need to spend some time unplugged from our iPods, and maybe even leave the cell phone at home once in a while.

Then again, I carry a messenger bag with a Pocket PC, a digital camera, and an iPod everywhere I go.