Leslie Charles, author of “Why Is Everyone So Cranky?” (Hyperion Press), subtitles her work “Ten Trends That Are Making Us Angry and How We Can Find Peace of Mind Instead.” Here are those 10 trends:<\/p>\n
a. Compressed Time: We feel hurried and rushed, we get annoyed at long lines, we go to bed wired and wake up tired.<\/p>\n
b. Communications Overload: We’re always tuned in – TV, radio, Internet or print media – sometimes two or more at once. We’re surrounded by piles of stuff we’ll never get to.<\/p>\n
c. Disconnectedness: We’re too busy or tired for intimacy. “We’re working more and enjoying it less,” says Charles.<\/p>\n
d. Cost: Life has become one constant “upgrade parade.” Somewhere along the line, “we gained this expectation … we should have more than we have.”<\/p>\n
e. Competition: We’re working longer hours with no increase in benefit. We feel like we’re constantly competing with everybody?<\/p>\n
f. Customer Contact: Consumers are more rude and unhappy. “The customer doesn’t have time to build [a] relationship, the clerk doesn’t either.”<\/p>\n
g. Computers: “Technology surrounds us,” says Charles, “[it’s] part of the culprit behind our era of emergency, urgency and interruption.”<\/p>\n
h. Change: We’ve have more change than wanted, less change than needed.<\/p>\n
i. Coming of Age: “Old is younger than it used to be,” says Charles, “but young is older than it used to be, too.”<\/p>\n
j. Complexity: Charles, says “We’re dealing with issues … we don’t even have [controls] for … such as genetic engineering, reproductive technology. We get overwhelmed to the point – we don’t want to deal with it … [which results in a] feeling of inadequacy.”<\/p>\n
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Commentary: Let me suggest ten antidotes for these trends:<\/p>\n
a. Stress (i.e., Compressed Time): “…don’t be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” [Matthew 6:34]<\/p>\n
b. Focus (i.e., Communications Overload): “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” [Colossians 3:2]<\/p>\n
c. Weariness (i.e., Disconnectedness): “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” [Matthew 11:28]<\/p>\n
d. Substance (i.e., Cost): “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” [Matthew 6:33]<\/p>\n
e. World-view (i.e., Competition): “Don’t love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father isn’t in him.” [1 John 2:15]<\/p>\n
f. Relationships (i.e., Customer Contact): “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; don’t merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” [Philippians 2:3,4]<\/p>\n
g. Priorities (i.e., Computers): And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. [Hebrews 9:27]<\/p>\n
h. Stability (i.e., Change): “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” [Hebrews 13:8]<\/p>\n
i. Culture (i.e., Coming of Age): “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.” [Mark 10:15]<\/p>\n
j. Adequacy (i.e., Complexity): “… God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” [Romans 5:8]<\/p>\n
I don’t know what Charles ultimately recommends to “find peace of mind” but here is how we can find “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension” [Philippians 4:7]: “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12]<\/p>\n
Source\/Attribution: John Gillmartin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Leslie Charles, author of “Why Is Everyone So Cranky?” (Hyperion Press), subtitles her work “Ten Trends That Are Making Us Angry and How We Can Find Peace of Mind Instead.” Here are those 10 trends: a. Compressed Time: We feel hurried and rushed, we get annoyed at long lines, we go to bed wired and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[93,4362,1802,1646,309],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4918"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4918\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}