4I will make boys their officials; mere children will govern them.
We all know deep down that it is a bad thing when youth are leading a nation. So as we read this passage that outlines what is going to happen when Judah is sent into exile, our hearts should be raising alarm bells. This is not a good thing when all the mature, experienced people are killed or exiled and those with no experience end up leading. Even the best and the brightest would be in trouble in this situation. The older generations have some wisdom that the young just don’t possess yet. It is interesting that the youth are leading us culturally. They are the ones driving technology, and technology carries with it a moral value. The individual is supreme. There is no sense of real community, community of depth. Surface relationships are valued, the number of Friends on Facebook is paramount. And yet there is a void, a deep longing for something more. But, no matter how much technology one possesses, it will not fill the void. It takes connection, deep connection, to fill the void. Our universities have started a cultural experiment and now they sit at the sidelines and watch as the world falls apart, and they have nothing to offer of real value. They are void, and all they can offer is emptiness. Their answers don’t fit the questions of the human heart. We need to find wisdom and cherish it. Youth have energy and excitement, but energy and excitement without proper direction is like a fireworks display that accidentally gets ignited out of sequence. It is exciting for the few moments of explosion, and then there is a lot of cleaning up to do. The easy profit of the investment portfolio that has driven the financial world for years has come crumbling down. We need to shift back to responsible, adult behavior. We need to pay as we go. Youth want to have it all now. But wisdom says we must work for what we have.
The Arnold Journey 