REBELLION AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT

When considering things in their larger magnifications, some things are just not worth rebelling against. It is the equivalent of spitting out the window, only to have it come back and hit you in the face. Not a pleasant experience to say the least. However, youth must first experience this awful consequence before realizing that they did not make up the rules, nor will they ever. This is a hard lesson to learn, but in the long run it will pay off handsomely.

Youth is characterized by its idealism. It is idealism that has not been tempered by life experience, therefore, it never works in the real world. Youth believe that parents are square and a drag. They believe that they are going to be able to change the world. They certainly possess the energy and enthusiasm. They do not mind continually running into brick walls. They figure that they will eventually be able to run through them. At this point, they are not smart enough to realize that the brick wall is impregnable. Oh well, they say. We have enough time and energy to keep trying.

It never dawns on them that they are fighting a losing battle. This is why not much is ever accomplished by youth. They simply lack any sense of foresight. They do not fully appreciate the consequences of their actions. They waste more time than redeem it. Their reflective capacity is next to zero. This is why they will make numerous decisions that they will live to regret later on in their lives. In fact, they may never effectively overcome those poor decisions. They may have eternal consequences for them.

To rebel against the establishment presupposes that there is right order about the universe. To rebel against what is right is to become an outlaw. It is the seeking to be determiner of what is right and wrong for each individual. No matter how much man may believe that he has evolved from a primitive state, he has not evolved ethically at all. In fact, he has regressed from his original state of Genesis 2:25, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." At this point in time, shame did not exist in the world. To man there was no such thing as anything dirty.

What a change transpired when man decided that he was the determiner of his own fate. Genesis 3:9-10 talks about man being ashamed for the first time, "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." The shame of his actions were obvious to all. He went from a position of confidence to one of timidity. Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." Righteous people are not guilty and therefore, cannot be manipulated. They do not suffer from shame.

Youth is further characterized by its extreme narcissism. They think that they are the center of the universe and that no one is as important as they are. They are under the illusion that all things revolve around them. This is due in large to the fact that they do not have to fend for themselves. Others support them in their vanity. They could not achieve this on their own. When the real world crowds in on them, they immediately want to be bailed out. They certainly do not want to experience the world of hard knocks. They just might stub their toe. How painful.

Youth seeks attention. They want everyone to see them. They will make a spectacle of themselves so that others will notice them. This usually entails negative attention. In their estimation of things, any attention is better than none. They are not concerned if they look utterly foolish. This is because in their world there is no right or wrong. Everything that they do is right, in their little world.

A case in point of what has already been written can be found in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Work crews demolished a building that young people had commandeered. The newspaper article (AP) begins with, "Masked demolition workers tore down the graffiti-sprayed building Monday that served as the makeshift cultural center for Denmark’s anarchists and disaffected youth, ignoring sobs and screamed obscenities from a surrounding crowd of young people." It should be noted that these young people did not own this building. They were trespassers. A minor point to them. They believe that everything belongs to them by them just being born.

The article goes on in saying, "Four days of street riots followed the owner’s decision Thursday to evict the squatters from the building—officially abandoned but used by anarchists, punk rockers and left-wing groups since 1982. The violent demonstrations were Denmark’s worst in a decade and drew like minded young people from across Northern Europe ending with more than 650 arrests and 25 injured." Absolutely wonderful. The Associated Press does not condemn this shameful action on the part of these young people. They make the owner of this building as the cause of these riots. In reality, these young people demonstrated their true colors. They are totally self-centered and filled with hate and rage against the establishment. They used this situation to show that they are immature little babies who will resort to violence when they do not get their way. They love to throw hissy fits, if anyone dares defy them.

Here is an enlightening piece of this article, "The protesters saw their fight to keep the "Youth House" as symbolic of a wider struggle against a capitalistic establishment. They hurled cobblestones at riot police, set fires to cars and trash bins, and caused havoc on the usually calm Copenhagen streets." The reason that there was a riot, in the first place, was because these youths wanted something for nothing. They believe that they are entitled to whatever they want without having to pay anything for it. In a word, they are thieves. Notice their maturity level. It is the equivalent of a baby throwing a tantrum. They turn destructive and violent. They despise all authority because they recognize no authority outside themselves.

What makes this incident more remarkable is that it occurred in a bastion of liberalism. Copenhagen is known for being a place where most things are allowed. Even this is not enough for the young people of Denmark. They want everything without having to do any thing for it. Their motto is "What is yours is mine and what is mine is mine." They live on a one way street named Me. In their world, the only ones that have any rights are themselves. They are self-indulgent in the extreme, as this case in point makes abundantly clear.

This is why there is a decided generation gap. Older people and young people have been polarized against each other. There is a civil war going on here. This is because young people, in general, have rejected establishment. Because of their idealism, they believe that they can establish another establishment, where they are on top and not on the bottom. This they accomplish, of course, without having to conform to any form of law or authority. They will determine right and wrong for themselves.

Negativity, as demonstrated by these youth in Copenhagen, accomplishes nothing. It just leads to destruction and violence. It should be obvious that these youth were trained in practical atheism. Their actions say loud and clear that they do not believe in any authority outside of themselves and anyone who stands in their way will feel their wrath. You will know that they are there. Of course, the Associated Press stands in alliance with these disenchanted youth. The Associated Press are just as mature as these youths because they support them. The Associated Press’ official religion is atheism. Their bias is obvious.

To overcome negativity, it must be replaced with something positive. This is where God’s law comes into play. Exodus 20:12 reads, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." This law teaches youth not to rebel against the establishment i.e. established Godly authority. To rebel against this jurisdiction is to revolt against God. Honoring is a positive emotion. It is placing value on something. This entails the opposite of negativity, which devalues.

Leviticus 19:32 is a positive command, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." We are to respect the older generation, not defy them. Our youth have been taught from an early age to do the opposite. This is clear in their actions. They believe that they are the ones that everyone should rise up before. They clearly have things transposed. They are dyslexic.

Rebellion against the establishment is a serious thing with God. He makes this clear in His law. Examples are found at Exodus 20:15, "And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death," and Exodus 20:17, "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." God calls for the civil penalty of forfeiture of life for rebellion against His established authority.