Paradox: A statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.

 

I believe that we are living in a paradoxical time. Perhaps it’s always been like this, or maybe this is a new phenomenon, however, in either case it’s become an increasingly difficult situation to ignore. There are plenty of good paradoxes to be sure; however, the fact of the matter is that we have taller buildings, but shorter foundations on which to build them. Wider sources of information, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but seem to have less; we might buy more, but too often enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less common sense. There are more educated people with greater cerebral knowledge than at anytime in the history of humanity on this earth…yet our collective judgment remains remarkably sophomoric in tone. We have more experts, but less expertise. We have more doctors, more medicine, more expensive, and it’s never been more necessary. So how are you feeling today? The lady on the news today said that America has an obesity epidemic. Yet, childhood poverty is at an all time high.

 

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, and watch too much television. We get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired too quickly, and read books much too seldom. Many of us pray to somebody, somehow, someway, some short, and some tall, though some of us fail to pray at all. We have multiplied our possessions, but have reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and certainly hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to our lives, but the quality is becoming increasingly questionable.

 

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not always better things; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soil from which our souls must one day escape. We've split the atom, but not our prejudices. 

 

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. Some of us have higher incomes, but lower morals. We have more opinions, but less appeasement. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more information than ever, but have less objective arbiters to aid in processing it. We've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

 

These are the times of fast food and slow digestion. Tall men, with shorter character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of more leisure, but less fun; more variety of food, but less nutrition. These are the days of two incomes, and one divorce, with many consequences. Fancier houses, with far too many broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, optional morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that claim to do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. 

 

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window, but there is nothing in stock. A time when technology can bring these words to you, right where you sit. A time when you can choose either to make a difference in your life, and your relationships, and your place in this world or you can do absolutely nothing. Just simply click the 'next page' icon. There will be information there because media is omnipresent. The next page will contain anything from the latest military action, to the latest celebrity gossip. One can trumpet the obvious existence of their knowledge; however, the paradox always lives inside of the source.