Why Catholic Millennials Need These Four Urgent Life Skills

[ColorMomma]

Me too .

 

[vz71]

If you care not for the lessons, it does not matter how much money you are given, you will always be poor.

 

[DarkLight]

If you care not for the lessons, it does not matter how much money you are given, you will always be poor.

The question is whether the lessons are actually useful and whether you have the tools to apply them.

Teaching someone to fish isn’t going to be useful if they can’t afford fishing gear. It’s not going to be useful if they aren’t allowed to fish somewhere with enough fish. It’s not going to be useful if they have physical issues that mean they can’t sit out fishing for a long period of time. It’s not going to be useful if they need something other than fish to eat. It’s not even useful if someone is starving now and isn’t able to wait long enough to catch their own fish.

I think I’ve stretched the analogy enough there. But the point is, you need money to make money. And sometimes what worked a generation or two ago might not work now. Sometimes certain lessons don’t work unless you already have enough money to put them into practice. I’m honestly not completely convinced that “teaching people to fish” is categorically a good strategy - I think we’re getting the economic equivalent of overfishing, where we’ve taught more people to go for certain skills than the economy will bear.

 

[Sarcelle]

Or it could be summarized to

It would be nice to have an opportunity to fish once I have learned how to fish.

 

[Pattylt]

Also, it’s great to know how to fish but what I really need is a good plumber!

 

[vz71]

So many coughing up reasons not to follow lessons learned from previous generations.

The real tragedy is that once the lessons do get learned, the next generation will have the same excuses.

 

[StephieNorthCo]

Some things apparently have to be learned over and over. Concupiscence?

 

[DarkLight]

Also so very many who followed exactly what the previous generation taught and ended up in jobs that don’t cover the rent.

Not even sure how well the advice holds up within generations. I’ve gotten an amazing amount of advice in my life that boils down to “don’t have health problems when young” or similar.

 

[twf]

Yes many people delay drivers’ licenses where I live. All universities / colleges here issue unlimited transit passes to students so that’s definitely a factor. Fewer cars on the road is a very good thing… far too congested as it is. We are investing big money into expanding train lines. I’m a huge believer in trains.

My wife and I, in our 30s, wouldn’t drive to work for world… the hundreds of dollars we would have to pay for just parking would be crippling.

 

[PetraG]

Yes many people delay drivers’ licenses where I live. All universities / colleges here issue unlimited transit passes to students so that’s definitely a factor. Fewer cars on the road is a very good thing… far too congested as it is. We are investing big money into expanding train lines. I’m a huge believer in trains.

My wife and I, in our 30s, wouldn’t drive to work for world… the hundreds of dollars we would have to pay for just parking would be crippling.

These aren’t students who turn to mass transit and don’t see a need for a driver’s license because they can go everywhere they need to go without one. They’re students who simply depend on someone else–maybe their parents or maybe their friends–to do the driving.

I do agree that many adults don’t need to learn to drive a car because they’re not going to drive frequently enough for it to be a practical skill for them.

 

[Fets]

Well I’ve skimmed the 132 replies. Most of them are pretty soft on millennials. I am not. Am I a millenial? I was born in 1992.
Anyways, just read Rod Dreher or Peter Hitchens or Pat Buchanan. How many people in previous generations described themselves as atheists?
How many understood freedom of religion vs. how many people are hostile to Christians today.
Idk.
It’s my understanding that a long list of problems in my generation ARE new. They’re living very differently than their grandparents did. And, in that way, it’s uncharted territory. We’re picking up that it’s bad for sleep to be watching a screen. Yet how many ppl do it? Obviously I’m doing that rn.
Porn addiction, divorce, contraception, obesity. Depression, suicide. Gun violence. These things are now worse today than they were for our parents or grandparents. Drugs and drug deaths.

Overall, I don’t think my generation is doing better. A lot of the above problems stem from lack of morality. And for the liberals in my generation, now they don’t even know what gender they are. They’re obsessed with racial and victomhood politics. The Fringe ideas of the 60s and 70s are mainstream and accepted. Reinforced by every tv show. Not the Brady Bunch or I love Lucy (or whatever else y’all watched), I’m 26. Leave it to Beaver, Andy Grifftith, etc.

I think there is great cause for concern for my generation. The number of faithful Catholics will decline. The number of parishes and Catholic schools will declime, many more will have to be closed.

Again, read Pat Buchanan, Rod Dreher, or Peter Hitchens. I find them to be just about right. I’m not sure if Shapiro shares their sentiments.

The Church will endure. But how much of my generation is going to be doing good work? How many will be saints? I think we’ll be forced to embrace a minority status that we haven’t had to endure in a while. My great grandparents came here in 1912. So, let’s say since about then.

Also, the March for Life. A lot of Catholic schools bus all their students in. Your average public school isn’t filled with bunches of pro-life ppl, just saying. Yes, some of the youth are religious. But, I don’t think the March for Life is indicative of a rising conservative generation in this country. The reverse is true in Israel. The religious Orthodox Jews in that country are having many more kids than secular liberal Jews. That’s just not the case here. The March for Life kids are watching Netflix and porn and will probably use birth control. They’re not a rising religious conservative generation, like the Jews in Israel.

Sorry if this is pessimistic, but I think it is the truth. I certainly pray for this state of affairs to improve

 

[wiggbuggie1]

at 32 I would love to be independent from my parents but rent here in NJ is crazy, prices close or around the 1000 range not to mention a lot of jobs paying between 10-14 per hour.

 

[Sarcelle]

Rent in the West Coast is also outrageous.

This is why I work and live in the part of the country that is not so expensive. The only drawback is, I am far from friends and family.

 

[JimG]

It’s my understanding that a long list of problems in my generation ARE new. They’re living very differently than their grandparents did. And, in that way, it’s uncharted territory.

Your post reminded me of a recent Anthony Esolen article, which should have been titled “Things I never imagined could happen, but did.” But it’s not just the recent generations that changed. The older generations who lived through all these changes mainly just shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, things change.” It’s startling what one can get used to and take as the new normal.

 

[Mary888]

Why is adult being used as a verb? Aren’t these classes just what used to be called home economics? Use that term instead. Adulting just sounds like a meme that was never funny but is not allowed to die.

AGREED! Plus you can learn how to do pretty much anything from how-to Youtube videos.

 

[DarkLight]

I think that might be less charity towards this generation and more skepticism about the rosy picture many folk like to paint about the generations prior. I have older family members who never quite got over the idea that black and white people can marry each other now. Every generation has issues, and every generation has talked about the horrors of the one after it and the good old days.

 

[Cruciferi]

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[DarkLight]

Perhaps, though one could argue that if one doesn’t share a room, not making the bed is really a personal decision of no great import…as long as one is willing to adapt and step up if circumstances change. I would argue that tidying up the kitchen or living room, if a shared space, is far more important.

Of course having the common sense to change one’s sheets regularly is another matter entirely…

I have however been told that making the bed is a recommended practice for those suffering from indoor allergies. Helps keep all the dust and other stuff from settling in on the parts where you sleep.

 

[DarkLight]

Honestly, the one bit that bothers me is the 100% you must be debt free everything that seems to get espoused. That’s good advice for those who are already earning a sufficient income to support their state in life, or for those who have someone else they can safely rely on to support them while they get started. If you’re in a position where you can be fed and clothed and housed and meet your needs while having a safety net with what you have, don’t borrow money.

But I’ve found it often tends towards shaming those who can’t immediately attain that position. I’d rather say, for them, borrow smart. Make sure the return on your investment is going to be higher than the interest you’re paying - but sometimes a loan is the better option when there’s truly not enough in the budget. If you’re going to borrow, do your homework and borrow from places that will work with you.

There are costs in life that are more expensive than money. If you have to borrow to get medical care, do it. If you have to borrow so you don’t have to stay in an abusive situation, do it. Most of the “take control of your finances” talk is for folk who can do that by cutting the coffee and cable, not for folk who are deciding if they’re going to pay for rent or medicine this month. And don’t be ashamed to take help if you need it.

 

[fin]

I think those are good points in the article. As for learning skills, it depends from person to person. For example, a long time ago I taught myself knitting and crochet from books and magazines, Youtube wasn’t around or wasn’t popular at that time.

Sometimes I feel like the blame game is not helpful. Blame this, blame the helicopter parents, etc. The fact is, different children need different ways of parenting. Some require more supervision, some don’t. It’s useless to blame parents. Sometimes it is their fault, sometimes it is not. Some bad parents thankfully have good kids, while some good parents have not so good ones. I do wish there was some formula to it, but the fact is there isn’t.