Parshall Partners

Loss Of Optimism

         Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” Those powerful words are the antithesis of what many Americans feel about the future of the next generation.

         Gallup has released some data gauging Americans’ attitudes regarding the next generation and its likelihood of surpassing their parents’ standard of living. They have been measuring this data since 2008. Before that, (1995 – 2003) The New York Times and CBS News asked the same question. According to Gallup, the highest percentage of U.S. adults expecting better lives for the next generation was 71% in 1999 and 2001. But those aren’t the numbers now.

         Gallup reports that “Americans have as little optimism as they have had at any time in nearly three decades about young people's chances of having greater material success in life than their parents. In all, 42% of U.S. adults think it is very (13%) or somewhat (29%) likely that today's youth "will have a better living standard, better homes, a better education and so on." This marks an 18-percentage-point drop since June 2019 and is statistically tied with the previous low in 2011”.

         Gallup notes that optimism trends downward during times of unemployment, recession, or inflation and general periods of economic challenges.  Gallup points out that “this was the case in late 2008 during the Great Recession and now during the highest inflation in more than four decades”. Optimism about the next generation’s future stands today at record lows.  But this raises some important questions.

         Economics are, of course, important, but optimism about the future is dependent on so much more.  How ‘rich’ can someone truly be without their health or a supportive family? Is optimism only predicated on material wealth? What does financial stability mean if you live without a community of friends who value you for who you are, not for what you’re worth?

         We do ourselves a grave disservice if our perspective about the future of the next generation rests solely on the ability for financial advancement.  We parents have the privilege of instilling into our children – that next generation – the value of so much more than money.  Billy Graham once said, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost”. Build character into your children now, while you can.  Better a poor but godly son than a rich, haughty son with no moral center.

         So, what can give the future generation the greatest reason for optimism? A personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are destitute without Him. In Christ, we have the riches of His mercy, the riches of His kindness, and the surpassing riches of His grace. George Beverly Shea sang out the answer with this old hymn:

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold
I'd rather be His than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

         Those are my thoughts.  I’m Janet Parshall.