Why isn't there more concern about our campus youth?

on Mar 11, 2022

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: The unrest on college campuses does not get the attention it should. The suicide rates are out of control and there seems to be little concern about the state of our youth. Why is this? – T.A.

A: There are many things that remain the same from generation to generation. People are confused and discouraged about relationships and what is going on in the universities and schools across the nation. Teachers are afraid of the principal and the principal is afraid of the school board, and the school board is afraid of the parents, and the parents are afraid of the young people, and the young people don’t seem to be afraid of anybody.

Yet the suicide rate is up among teens. There are giants in life that many never face and overcome. These giants are often called “hang-ups.” The world faces the giants of poverty, racial tensions, inflation, war, ravaging diseases, etc. How do we cope with them? How do we defeat them? How do people handle their “hang-ups?” Young people especially are concerned about social justice and feel that the world is unfair.

People have an overwhelming need to be accepted and recognized and to have security. Not just young people, but all people because they’ve never resolved these issues in life.

Young people also want to know the lines of authority. This may surprise people but it is true. When everything is permissive, people become miserable and unhappy. They may not comprehend this as truth, but it is the truth.

When people come to know Jesus Christ and come under the authority of His Lordship, peace comes into their lives bringing security they long for. There is no middle ground. Everyone must choose the road they will take and the Bible tells us that there are only two roads.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)