Don't Give Up! Somebody DOES Care!

Sociologists love to divide people into different categories, each with its own distinctive label. For instance, Baby Boomers like me were born between 1946 and 1964. Next came Generation Xers, born from 1965 to 1980; followed by Millennials (also known as Generation Y), born between 1981 and 1996. Zoomers or Generation Z came next, from 1997 to 2012; after which came Generation Alpha from 2013 to the Present.

Got that?

Last week, I heard an interview with a serviceman who was trying to explain why the U.S. military is having a hard time meeting its recruitment goals. In fact, he even wrote a book about the current enlistment crisis titled, “We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam”. I guess it was a takeoff of the old “Uncle Sam wants YOU!” recruitment posters that were popular during the two World Wars.

One of the more startling – and disturbing – points he made was that the second leading cause of death for Millennials is suicide. (Further research on my part shows it to be #3, behind accidents and heart disease).

How can that be? After all, people of that generation are between 27 and 42 years old, what most of us would consider the prime years of life. And yet, thousands of Millennials consider their lives to be so painful or so meaningless that they end them prematurely each year.

What makes 50,000 Americans kill themselves every year and another 1.7 million attempt to take their own lives? According to the aforementioned serviceman, one of the biggest reasons is a sense of loneliness and isolation. Yes, even in this age of social media where virtually everyone is linked by a cellphone, a laptop, and/or a smartwatch, people feel so alone that they are tempted to commit suicide.

You may have thousands of “friends” on Facebook, but very few people with whom you physically interact every day. Likewise, you may have a million or more “followers” on Instagram, but you don’t feel loved and appreciated.

So, what’s the solution?

Whereas they are no easy answers, I think we need to convey to people that they have an inherent worth simply because they have been created in the very image and likeness of God Himself (see Genesis 1:26). They also need to be told that God loves them unconditionally (see John 3:16) and that He has a wonderful plan for their lives (see Jeremiah 11:29-31).

Instead, our schools and our society at large send the same relentless – and demoralizing – message that we are merely highly-developed apes which, in turn, evolved from some primordial soup eons ago. God, if He does exist, is a detached and ambivalent Supreme Being or energy source who doesn’t know me let alone care about me. Of course, that is a lie, because the God of the universe is so concerned about us and what is going on in our lives that He knows the exact number of hairs on our head (see Luke 12:7). Not only that, but He wants to have a personal relationship with us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

That truth – and that Truth alone – will convey purpose and a sense of significance to Millennials and every other generation. We just need to share it with them before it’s too late.

(If you are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please let someone know… and don’t stop there. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988. I would also suggest that you read the following Bible passages about God’s infinite and boundless love and care for you (Matthew 6:25-34; and Romans 8:35-39).