After an hour-long level 4 English class discussing the status of society, we came to the conclusion that we are all different. Those differences are empowered by our expectations and fueled by our comparisons. In the end, our decisions are what form us and ultimately if our choices are guided by what is right even if we feel out of place in society, we will be consoled in knowing that we made our choices for the right reasons.
We navigated subjects like social media, the educational environment, cultures, and dogmas. We thought about the definition of balance, normalcy, and mental health. All of these conversations were amazing mental exercises that keep us open-minded and thoughtful as we walk through our upcoming week.
Do we form our social media? Does our social media form us? Should we teach our children to conform to live a simpler life or should we urge them to stay unique but suffer the consequences? Who is normal? Who determines what mental health is? Why do we work so hard for rewards we don’t even want.
This took me to a deep theological thought, a concept I discuss with my mother all the time, the changing vs. the unchanging. Give me a second to explain before you disregard my essay. The only way to improve from one day to the next is to focus on the unchanging. Your health will decline, your beauty will fade, your life will end, your job will fill your position once you are gone, your children will move out. Life is ever changing. If we build our lives on a foundation that is always shifting, we will live in fear. That fear will influence our decisions, our minds, and our health. So, what is the unchanging? The simple answer, God. God is the unchanging. By building a foundation guided by His hand we save ourselves the trouble of trying to decide what is right and what is wrong. When we live life through God’s lens, we are able to relieve ourselves of the burden of truth in a society painted exclusively in shades of grey.
After kicking around these questions for a while the concluding question was: “Is society as a whole improving or worsening?”. My answer is worsening. As we teach our children to be self-reliant and independent to try to combat society’s pressure of the status quo, we push them further from God and further from normal at the same time, leaving our children scared and alone. Fight or flight responses kick in and frightened children around the world are making decisions that are forming society as a whole.
It is our fault. We should have built our homes on rock (Mattew7:24-27) like we were told to do. We should have taught our children the path so they would not stray (Proverbs 22:6). It’s our fault. Do we have the strength to admit our role in the debacle? Can we change our ways and lead by example even if it seems too late?
All this in a one of our level 4 English classes! These are student that have learned English from 0 to 100 through Proyecto Propósito. Now we are able to think and explore in both languages, allowing the culture to intertwine and to create something new.
This is why I teach English; this is why I consider what I do God’s work. Yes, we form call center agents and customer service representatives around the world, but we also form doctors, lawyers, accountants, preachers, young and old, golf pros and university applicants from all over Latin America. We do this by bridging the gap on both fronts. Language and the unchanging.
Ask how you could help support Proyecto Propósito.
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