We live in fascinating times, especially in the Western world where many teens have more toys, machines, gismos and gadgets than they know what to do with. When Sony announced the long-awaited debut of its Playstation, it did so with the caution that not enough units would be available to supply demand. 

The pricey personal video game machine selling for several hundred dollars a pop sold out in hours in major retailers. The black market geared up to supply the demand at premium prices. I checked on eBay shortly before writing this article and found that some sellers were asking up to $800 for the video game.

What ever happened to Atari, the must-have game of a few years ago? It wouldn't be a paperweight today for most teens. New technologies make the old obsolete faster and faster.

In the clutter of a dizzying array of expensive toys that often feature violent or lewd games, there are symptoms to notice. The emotional and spiritual makeup of kids who have lots of things, but little vision of the future, is troubling. Life is more than just a vicarious experience and hours wasted on climbing to the top of a game leader board. The hollowness of a gadget-filled world is more than obvious when kids kill kids, sometimes just for kicks. Recently in Japan, a juvenile was arrested for murdering someone. When asked why he did it, he said he wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone. Experts are now wondering if the violent games (many produced in Japan) could have anything to do with the rise of juvenile crime in that country.

In his book, Slouching Towards Gomorrah, Modern Liberalism and American Decline, Judge Robert H. Bork discusses the rage of rap music. "Its performers don't just sing about criminals; some of them are criminals. Which does not seem to diminish their popularity. What we hear in rap is paralleled elsewhere in popular culture in varying degrees. That the movies feature sex, violence, and vile language is not news. Car chases ending in flaming crashes, the machine gunning of masses of people, explosions of helicopters, the liberal production of corpses, language previously not heard in semipolite society, these are not standard. It is no doubt true that Hollywood is appealing to a profitable adolescent audience, which appears to think that dismemberments and obscenities are an excellent evening's entertainment" (p. 126).

Jim Nelson Black in his book, When Nations Die, quotes Charles Colson: "Societies are tragically vulnerable when the men and women who compose them lack character. A nation or a culture cannot endure for long unless it is undergirded by common values such as valor, public-spiritedness, respect for others and for the law; it cannot stand unless it is populated by people who will act on motives superior to their own immediate interest" (p. 155).

What does your future hold? Is the new Playstation the highest rung on your ladder? One of the reasons we offer the Youth United e-magazine is to speak to the vision needed in leaders for a new world.

Those who have some vision of the future and an awareness that God is working out His purpose and plan can prepare for awesome service. The world is waiting for young people to wake up and see the need for honesty, hard work, integrity, service and concern for others. Newt Gingrich wrote: "Precisely because our rights are endowed by our Creator, the individual burden of responsibility borne by each citizen is greater than in any other country?. The fact that God has empowered us puts an enormous burden on our shoulders" (To New America, p. 38). Will you be up to the challenge in the years ahead?

Sound societies require people with character. Yet many do not understand this important principle. As Os Guinness notes: "Americans with a purely secular view of life have too much to live with and too little to live for" (The American Hour, p. 414).

In the lifetime of most reading this article, the standard of living has dramatically increased. The next time you have a chance to talk with your grandparents (or great-grandparents, if they are still living), ask them when they remember getting electricity, indoor plumbing and a private phone line—most were party lines when I was a teenager. You had to first listen to see if someone else was on the line. And you had to use a rotary dial—no call waiting or caller ID.

Most today ride to school. I'm sure you have heard the stories from your grandparents (or your parents, if they are old enough), about walking to school, rain, snow or shine. My parents walked uphill both ways in two or three feet of snow without boots most of the time. At least that is what I remember. The parking lots of most high schools today are filled with some pretty amazing vehicles. I'm not shocked to see the latest Viper or BMW anymore.

Leaders are needed

When all is said and done, there is usually more said than done. What are your goals for your future? What if the world goes into a recession or even a depression? Many experts predict that the standard of living for your children will actually decrease. How will you cope with a changing world in which more and more people will have less and less? In his book, The Twilight of American Culture, Morris Berman writes, "By 1996, the 447 richest people on the planet had assets equal to that of the poorest 2.5 billion-42 percent of the world population." His point is that the majority of people are getting poorer" (p. 24).

Mr. Berman continues, "The truth is that it is a bitter brew; that the affluence of the few is purchased at the misery of the many" (p. 24). In spite of the fact that many Americans have so much, the literacy rate of the United States ranks 49th out of 158 countries. Only 6 percent of Americans read as much as one book a year, where a book is defined to include Harlequin romances and self-help manuals. Something like 120 million adults are illiterate or read no better than a fifth-grade level (ibid., p. 36). These are staggering statistics. Where will the leaders of the world tomorrow come from? You need to redeem the time! Take advantage of marvelous opportunities to learn and prepare for the future.

A better way is coming

Biblical prophecies describe a wonderful world tomorrow in which there will be peace and abundance for all in the context of a world government under Jesus Christ. The Bible also explains that the vast wealth and prosperity of the United States is the direct result of Divine blessings to one man, Abraham, and his descendants. Sadly, before this wonderful time of peace can come, the United States will go through some very difficult times. Jeremiah 30 calls this the time of "Jacob's trouble." Before the return of Christ, the great financial bounty of the United States will be taken away.

To learn more about these issues that will affect the United States, request our new booklet, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.

God wants people of character

Our challenge today is to learn to obey God, by keeping His Commandments and preparing to be part of the coming government of Jesus Christ. The articles in this e-magazine and the literature available from the United Church of God, an International Association, are designed to be guides for you. Take your future into your own hands. Study, pray, prepare for a new world.

Instead of lusting for the latest electronic game with faster and more realistic graphics, sound, etc., why not read a serious book such as the Bible? How about reading a classic piece of literature so you can learn that the power of ideas is much more stimulating than imaginary head kicks or shooting down invaders from a far away planet? Educate yourself! Take a course to improve your skills! After all, today's must-have toys will soon be tomorrow's paperweights. YU