27 February | Youth
«Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.» Matthew 7:13
We live in the empire of the “easy.” The advancement of technology has sped up life, made many things easier, but has also resulted in a frenetic and accelerated day-to-day life. As if they were machines, people want to run to live as much as they can in a desperate fight against the clock.
The “world of facilities” made things easier than they should have. We live in an era of fleetingness and disposability. The fight against time is echoed in the plastic culture. Before the invention of this element, things were made of resistant and durable materials. Today, plastic is everywhere, and disposal is an absolute part of human life.
Commerce feeds ferociously on this trend. Things are designed to become useless in a fleeting time. The term “planned obsolescence” reflects the mercantilist and consumerist rage of our time. Everyone always wants a cutting-edge item to call their own.
The biggest problem is that this mentality spills over into relationships. People also became disposable. They lose their usefulness and are shamelessly replaced. It is all very easy. Do not like it, or don't “love” it anymore? Just change. Human beings now have an “expiration date.”
In this wave, divorce, which was considered a tragedy until mid-century, became something normal and easy to do. “I cannot waste time with the wrong person. Life is short.” This may be the “plastic” argument made by a spouse, shortly after having promised to spend their life with another person. “Happily ever after” does not match the “be eternal while it lasts,” of today’s anxious and frantic search for fleeting happiness.
This culture is opposite to that of the kingdom of Heaven. In spiritual life, there are two paths: the easy and the difficult. On the easy, the road and the gate are wide. It is possible to travel at high speed along the highways of sin. Its destiny, however, is eternal death. On the path of Christ, in turn, the gate is narrow, and the road has obstacles. It is necessary to go slowly, going through the stages with awareness, but always counting on the presence of Jesus. Its destiny is eternal life. Do not choose the easiest and fastest. Stick with God’s proposal. It may be harder, but He promises to help you.