Young people must be taught, in their formative years, to not take themselves too seriously. This is not a novel observation with myself or even my generation. But they must be taught to take some things seriously. Honesty, respect for elders, love of flag and country, the honor of one’s mother, the elderly, the family name. As Christians, we must add the name of God, the body of Christ, the Word and words of God, our own testimony, etc.
Should a young person take himself too seriously, their malevolent peers and enemies will soon find ridicule and insult sufficient to offend, alienate and banish them, disenfranchised and stewing in self-pity, away from the cruelty of company and into a hermit’s life. One’s own shortcomings of strength, wit or words will do him in when outnumbered or outmatched by an opponent, or when routinely maligned for failures, real or perceived.
A young person should be conditioned to take seriously only worthy things external to himself. If a knight rode around defending his ability to look knightly atop his handsome steed, clad both in mail, draped in velvet from shoulders to floor, then knighthood loses its value, its virtue.
Young people are often contentious. Our natural inclination is to criminalize this offense/defense instinct as troublesome, to train or discipline it out of them. Yet, Jude instructed us to earnestly contend for the faith. Our defense should not be of our own vanity and pride, but things more noble; our energies spent on profitable things. We can’t let chivalry give way to pomposity.
In order to avoid injury to one’s pride, it is often necessary to sidestep injurious insult, and take issue with only the external and moral components of an attack.
Years ago, a young lady from our church was attacked by a large dog while out canvassing for the church. It latched onto her leg, but suppressing her natural instinct, she recalled what her father had taught her about the nature of dogs. They don’t like to bite things that don’t react. She instead clamped up and stood statue-still until the dog lost interest. In doing so, she escaped with far lesser wounds than had she obeyed her fears.
Increasingly, the world is full of dogs. To help our children cope with broadening hostility, and to ensure they are useful, not just active, in the moral battle, we must teach them to take themselves less seriously than principles, to sidestep insult to their person and pride, to reserve their indignation for noble causes external to themselves and to earnestly contend for things sharing an elevated plateau with faith.
Tel Jiberish 