It was my last night on campus at the end of my freshman
year in college. I had two exams still
to go. I had my notes for my Biology
final in front of me. The final was
important. I was barely maintaining a C
in the class. My studying was
interrupted by a knock on the door. Two
of my dorm friends enter the room grinning from ear to ear. They were inviting me to an off-campus
party. The offer to spend one last night
celebrating with friends. We could not
have alcohol on campus. The opportunity
to share a case of beer with friends was too tempting.
Reflecting back, it was just another example of the poor
choices I made during my high school and college years. Somehow, I survived although my C in biology
slipped to a D. Funny, I struggle now to
remember the names of the two friends.
As I recall they did not survive the cut and didn’t make it back for
their sophomore year.
I have thought about some of the sins of my youth in recent
days as images of young people celebrating The Independence Day Holiday have
been featured on the news. There was
even a report of a fraternity party where they placed bets on who would be the
first person to contract the virus. The
images of young people partying shoulder to shoulder, beverages in hand, on
beaches were indeed disturbing. No mask
and definitely no social distancing.
The unfortunate reality is we should not be surprised. Young people are not wired to always make
wise choices. The pre-frontal cortex,
the portion of the brain where decisions are made, is not fully developed until
the mid-twenties. When you add in the
fact that early on we got mixed messages about the effect of the virus on young
people, it is easy to understand why they might not get it.
So, it is incumbent on those of us who are older to focus
on two things. First off, we need to
take care of ourselves. As much as I do
not like having to be sheltered at home, I know it is what I need to do. Secondly, we need to be examples of faith and
hope at this time. Granted, most of our
communication these days is limited but still what we share with our friends, whether
it be via phone, zoom or social media, needs to reflect the hope we have in
Jesus. The world, perhaps even some
young folks, is watching.
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