World Views

An article from the Wall Street Journal looks at the rising suicide rates in this country that is hitting our younger generation hard. According to the CDC, for the age group of children 10 to 17, the overall suicide rate has increased 26% between the 2007-2017 time period. Dubbed, "death's of despair," this time period also coincides with the introduction of the I-Phone and the rising popularity of social media, although, not discussed in the article, this is a factor that should not be ignored. This article explores the cluster of suicide deaths in the small town of Harriman, Utah. A town of mostly Mormon believers, this was especially shocking to the townspeople and even caused them to reconsider the Mormon belief on suicide. Some common denominators amongst the victims: were the despair of not measuring up to the rigid standards of Mormonism, not fitting in with the "in crowd" at school, drug and alcohol use. So what is the take away for Christians from this article? One that comes to mind, is how important it is as parents, to establish a firm foundation in the faith for our children and pray for them always.

Click On the PDF file to read the article.

Attachment: One Teenager Killed Himself. Six More Followed. - WSJ.pdf

My wife and I, after a busy day, decided on a late dinner out, and selected a restaurant that based on previous experiences, would be fairly quiet. I just wanted to be able to sit across from my wife and not have to shout above the din, to have a conversation. Oh well,it was a good thought anyway. Our quiet dinner was anything but! There was a large table of about 12 adults who were celebrating a birthday and were rather loud and boisterous, as people are, after consuming mass quantities of adult beverages. It was the cow bell and the party hooters that the reveler's delighted in ringing and hooting, making it sound like a New Years Eve party in Whoville, (Ya-Who's no doubt) that really irked me. There is a point to my story. The following morning I got up early and settled in to scanning the news papers for material to post on the site. What do I find ? A review of a book entitled, "Silence." Normally, I would have bypassed it, but because of my previous night's experience, it caught my attention.

We live in a world of earbuds, muzak on elevators and every business you walk into, not to mention gas pumps, and multiple screens blaring different sporting events, smart phones that talk to you and emit various rings and beeps. Today's society experiences a constant deluge of sound that assaults us from every direction. Jane Brox is the author of the book, "Silence," in which she explores the history and cultural meaning of silence. The book review itself is an interesting read, written by Christine Rosen of the WSJ.

By the way, I had the fish sandwich and Tracey did the fish taco's, both were good.

Attachment: The Rest Is Noise - WSJ.pdf