Last night, while talking with Tammy, my sweetheart, an extraordinary idea occurred to me

THE MILLENNIAL MAN

Please accept this humble essay as my follow-up to a previous submission, The Butterfly Effect

For some years now, many wise people have recognized danger in our future and have tried to learn as much about it as possible, spread the word about it, and prepare for it to the best of their abilities. I am one of these people. In the context of the Y2K problem, such people have been known as GIs, Get Its, if you will, because they understood the danger and acted accordingly. But, in spite of our best research and logic, Y2K has proven (so far) to be only a fraction of the problem we expected.

Do you believe in Gods sovereignty and judgementbalanced with His love and mercy? Do you believe in miracles? I do and I believe we have faced the possibility of infrastructure and social collapse, global chaos and waronly to be granted mercy.

Please consider this in the light of a historical reflection, a mirror image of where we stand today

THE RENAISSANCE MAN

The Renaissance was a period of timefollowing the end of the Dark Ageschiefly remembered by the expansion of knowledge, creativity and social order. The rebirth of society was occurring before the eyes of those who lived then.

One remarkable product of this time of rebirth was the Renaissance Man. Such a man, in his heart, knew the gift he had been given to witness such an incredible event as the end of chaos and the beginning of social and cultural recovery. He understood the responsibility of every man to do his utmost to have a positive effect on events surrounding cultural growth and social orderand he responded with a true joie de vivre in every thought, word and deed.

Many significant Renaissance Men became scholars, philosophers, true men of Christian faith and even athletesall in the course of a single lifetime! To the Renaissance Man there was no limit to what he could discover about life and what he could do to rebuild a better society!

But all this came because of a long periodspanning many generationsof chaos. So much was lost in the fall of the Roman Empire that the witness of social rebirth kindled the spark of hope so intense that men let nothing stand in the way of their personal rediscovery of the joy of living.

Where can we find such joy?

The Bible says that there remains Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love. Why? Faith in God leads to righteousness before God, and ultimately to forgiveness and rebirth in Jesus Christ to everlasting life. Faith allows us to believe and stand strong. Hope allows us to look to the futurenot with fear but with expectation of ultimate freedom from sin. But neither faith nor hope causes us to act, and only actions make a difference in individual lives, communities and, ultimately, society.

What you believe will direct what you think. What you think will direct what you do. What you do will direct your futureyour ultimate destination. Love is the only thing that will make you move and actand be useful to God in the processand thus affect not only your destiny but the destiny of every life you touch. Only the love that comes from God will do this. And working for God, motivated by love, leads to joy. The same joy felt by every Renaissance Man so many centuries ago.

PERSPECTIVE

As we close the twentieth century I have realized that we have witnessed a century of unparalleled selfishness, violence and exploitation. In the last 100 years we have witnessed the millions of violent deaths, unprecedented social degradation (resulting from individual selfishness and collective loss of history and direction), and the exploitation of every resource weve discoveredincluding our fellow menall for personal gain. We cannot maintain this collective human attitude and not expect a backlash.

On New Years Day we turned a page and entered 2000 Anno Domini (the year of our Lord), the millennial year. This is a momentous occasion and we have all been given the opportunity to witness lifeand make our own futureat the turn of the millennium. What we do now with such a gift will affect our future. Hold that thought!

We must rediscover the joy and life of the Renaissance Man:

 The renewed faith in Almighty God and submission to His sovereignty and direction.  The relentless search for Gods wisdom and truth.  The motivation to fully participate in our personal and social lives.  The heartfelt commitment of our personal time, energy and talents to rebuilding society.  The recognition of personal responsibility for our actions and the effects they have on our fellow man.  The joy of living and having real God-given influence and impact on our personal and collective future.

The Renaissance occurred in the distant past and we cannot be Renaissance Men. What shall we call ourselves if we take Gods love and mercy to heart and commit our lives to His will and the joy that comes from making a real difference?

The year 2000 is the final year of the current millennium and such a year is historically known as the Millennial Year.

Let us call them MILLENNIAL MEN.

Let us live like MILLENNIAL MEN.

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), January 06, 2000

Answers

Kurt

Happy New Years!

You mean there is a difference between your heart and pocket book?

-- Brian (imager@home.com), January 06, 2000.

Beautifully said by a true wordsmith.

I do hope that this 2000 forum stays up and running for all the varied expertise and perspective on current events and rational living.

Peace be with you.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), January 06, 2000.