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Teenagers today…

Teenagers today…. They are…. Lazy. Immature. Ammoral . Interested only in parties, ipods , video games, and facebook . Ignorant. Irresponsible. Are you responsible?. Maybe it depends on what we mean by “responsible”.

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Teenagers today…

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  1. Teenagers today…

  2. They are… • Lazy. • Immature. • Ammoral. • Interested only in parties, ipods, video games, and facebook. • Ignorant. • Irresponsible.

  3. Are you responsible? • Maybe it depends on what we mean by “responsible”. • “reliable: able to be counted on owing to qualities of conscientiousness and trustworthiness (Encarta)” • This is probably what folks mean when they say teens are irresponsible. • But I want to focus today on another definition of “responsible”.

  4. Are you responsible? • “answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management (dictionary.com)” • Are you responsible in this sense? • Are you responsible for your actions? • For your life?

  5. Are you responsible? • Maybe not. • The courts may not hold you fully responsible for your actions until you are 18. • Your parents may not hold you responsible. • Society may say you are the product of your genes and your environment. • But consider this…

  6. Fast Forward • Fast forward your life twenty years. • Where will you be? What will your life be like. • Will you be happy? • What or who will determine the answers to these questions?

  7. Blame • Who will you blame if your life is a wreck? • Who will be responsible if your circumstances are less than desirable? • Who will be to blame if you are not the person you would like to be, morally, intellectually, physically, vocationally? • Mom and Dad? • Society? • Chance? • God?

  8. Blame • You may be justified in blaming these people and circumstances… • But what good will that do you?

  9. Yesterday • Bad things may have happened to you. • Really bad things. • And later in your life you may be justified in blaming them for your troubles. • But what good will that do you?

  10. Today • If you had the chance to change your future • To improve your life • To do something today that would lead to higher fulfillment tomorrow • Would you do it? • Then what are you waiting for?

  11. Power • Whether you are technically responsible or not • Your actions and decisions today will play a role in what your life looks like tomorrow… • And what kind of person you are… • And whether you find fulfillment. • You have the power to change your life… • And your future.

  12. Circumstances • Your circumstances, past or present, may be hindrances, burdens, obstacles… • To be overcome… • Opportunities… • To find fulfillment… • Challenges… • To strengthen you.

  13. Obstacles • Your obstacles may be great… • Your hurts deep… • Your difficulties many… • But even if you could only improve your life a little bit… • Wouldn’t it be worth it?

  14. Life • Would life be worth living if it were nothing but misery? • No meaning, no fulfillment.

  15. Fulfillment • The only reasonable motivation for doing anything is to increase your own sense of fulfillment. • How do we find fulfillment? • Pleasure? • Sex? • Food? • Fun?

  16. Fulfillment • Sure. We can find fulfillment in all of these things, but it is often short lived. • There are things that bring sustained fulfillment. • Love. • Compassion. • Honor. • Achievement. • Responsibility.

  17. Fulfillment • There is the satisfaction of a job well done… • or an obstacle overcome. • There is the fulfillment that comes from liking, being proud of who you have become. • Knowing you fulfilled your duty. • Helping others. • Improving yourself… • Your life.

  18. Fulfillment • Can you influence your present and future level of fulfillment? • You sure can.

  19. Tomorrow • We need to take a long range view of fulfillment. • It is not reasonable to exchange a high level of long range fulfillment for a little bit of fleeting fulfillment today. • It may be fun to get drunk today… • Have sex… • Be lazy… • Waste your time… • But how will that affect your fulfillment tomorrow… • In ten years?

  20. Tomorrow • What if, instead… • You did what you knew was right… • And best in the long run.

  21. Decisions • Little choices you make today… • Are choices between alternatives… • For tomorrow. • Choices between greater or lesser fulfillment. • Good and evil. • They create habits, good or bad… • They affect relationships, for better or for worse… • They mold our character, our abilities, our lives.

  22. Decisions • Little choices you make today… • Can affect your circumstances… • And your character… • And your fulfillment… • Tomorrow.

  23. Decisions • No one wakes up one day and decides to have a miserable life. • It happens one little choice at a time. • But you can wake up… • And decide to live for fulfillment.

  24. Questions • What kind of person do you want to be? • What kind of life do you want to live? • When you are lying on your deathbed, what kind of life do you want to look back on? • Live it.

  25. Teenagers Today… • Are responsible • In that they have the power • To choose. • To affect their own destinies • And chart their own courses • Toward fulfillment.

  26. Begin today

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