Change: The Only Constant

It has rightly been said that, in the 21st century, the only constant that exists is change. Indeed change itself seems to be changing . . . soaring toward us at faster rates, cycling instead of staging. The young adults that you attempt to care for, minister to, and reach out to are products of change. They know only change. They have no real recollection of stability in any area of life. Consider the major impact of the following mainstreamed technological changes of the last half-century.

The electric light, a revolutionary creature. This small thing has changed the world of young adults from one of 12-hour days to 24-hour days. Time is no longer structured by "going to bed with the chickens" and "rising with the sun." Most of them have been employed at one time or another in a business that kept them at work until 10 p.m. or later. "Shift" work is not an inconvenience for them, reserved for those who were not preferred by the boss; it is normal. Time is structured by the individual rather than being the victim of time. Urban living is not the sole possession of the resident of the city. The 24-hour lifestyle of young adults is a reality everywhere.

Transportation, not a luxury or a necessity, but an expectation. Because of the advent of transportation for everyone, young adults live farther away from family and support systems than any time in the history of the world. Personal transportation has led to an individualism and independence previously unknown. Long before reaching adulthood, individuals have discovered the freedom to go where they want and leave when they want. This freedom, which has always existed, can reach from town to town, across county lines, or, thanks to transportation, to different states and countries. In addition to individual transportation, air travel—at one time the sole possession of the elite—has always been the right of young adults. There simply are no spacial limits.

Television, the eye to the world. The Builders Generation can recall their first TV. Boomers remember color and cable. Busters, however, know only a world with multiple TVs in each home, all color, and hundreds of channels from which to choose.

Here's a Thought: Ask the young adults you know to keep a log of the exact time that their TV is on for seven days. Exact means anytime the TV is on and you are in the room with it.

The monological communication of the TV has raised up a generation of folks who have had less time to learn to talk to one another and provided a never-ending parade of poor role models or unrealistic expectations.

VCR and DVD, the "you can have it now or have it later" inventions. Boomers grew up planning schedules around programs. Busters have never had to do that. They simply insert a blank tape and set the timer to record. This means greater freedom without sacrificing any entertainment or multiple use of time: watch one program and tape another for later viewing. If that is not enough, you can run over to the neighborhood video store and rent a handful of movies, permitting you to vegetate and isolate yourself even further.

Computers, a window on the world that you can control. The availability of information delivered directly to the homes of today's young adults is staggering. The personal computer and the Internet have become more ways in an already crowded life to steal time from building a marriage, to provide additional competition for real relationships, to pretend to be that which you are not in virtual relationships.

Five simple, everyday technologies. Some newer than others but all standard fare for the young adults of the 21st century.

Here's a Thought: Jot down these five gifts of technology on a blank piece of paper or a new document if you prefer the computer! Beside each, list at least two implications of these realities on the way you lead, love, and reach young adults. Now identify the implications for VCR/DVD, the Internet, chat rooms, satellite television, and portable CD players.

This is the 21st century. We cannot go back to earlier times. But, by God's grace, we can go forward through these.

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Written by Dr. Randy Millwood, associate professor, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, at the time he wrote these articles. He is now a consultant specialist for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware and director of the Church Health Center, Maryland/Delaware.