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Respectable sins
The late, great Jerry Bridges wrote and spoke about the dangers of what he called “respectable sins” – things that are biblically wrong but accepted in a current Christian culture. On the ATD podcast and broadcasts, we are examining a number of our current practices that fit the “respectable sin” description. We discuss the performance illusion in some detail (the idea that I must perform well to keep God’s love), but do not take time to examine the impact of this lie on young adults in particular.
Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes, does so quite effectively in his new book. Below are some excerpts that illustrate the devastating pressure of this lie on people in their 20’s and 30’s:
Precocious achievement is the exception, not the norm
The fact is, we mature and develop at different rates. All of us will have multiple cognitive peaks throughout our lives, and the talents and passions that we have to offer can emerge across a range of personal circumstances, not just in formal educational settings focused on a few narrow criteria of achievement. As Neuroscientist Joshua Hartshorne concludes, ‘There’s probably not one age at which you’re peak on most things, much less all of them.’ Late bloomers are everywhere once you know to look for them.
Our worship of youthful success generates unhappiness
How we evaluate young people places needless emotional burdens on families and has helped to spur an epidemic of anxiety and depression among teens and young adults. The effort to forge young people into wunderkinds is making them fragile and filling them with self-doubt: It suggests that if you haven’t become famous, reinvented an industry or banked seven figures while you’re still in your 20’s, you’ve somehow off track. But the basic premise is wrong: Early blooming is not a requirement for lifelong accomplishment and fulfillment.
Keep pressing on
All of us know someone, care about someone or love someone who seems stuck in life. The critical thing to remember is that we cannot give up on ourselves or others, even—and especially—if society has made it harder to catch up. Human life spans are lengthening. Most people recently born will live into the 22nd century. The vast majority of us will be better served not by high SAT scores or STEM degrees but by discovering and embracing our true talents. A healthy society needs all of its people to recognize that they can bloom and re-bloom, grow and succeed throughout their lives. Rich Karlgaard [These quotes are adapted from Mr. Karlgaard’s new book, “Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement” (Crown Currency).]
God bless,
Wayne