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Your Future​—Is It in Danger?

ALL of us have a stake in the future. Teenagers, hoping to live perhaps another 60 or 70 years, wonder what kind of life the future will offer them. Older persons want whatever time they have left to be as comfortable as possible. And most of them are concerned about what the future holds for their children and grandchildren.

Hence, young or old, we invite you to answer the following questions. And as you do, consider why you answer the way you do.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: Today people feel free to experiment with such things as marriage and parenthood. They feel liberated from old-fashioned ideas. Has this greater “freedom” brought greater happiness?

HEALTH: Today man understands more about the causes and cures of sicknesses than he ever did. In view of this, how confident are you that cancer or some other disease will not cripple you or end your life prematurely?

FINANCIAL SECURITY: In many lands ordinary people are wealthier than at any previous time in history. Are you, then, satisfied with today’s economic situation? Are you confident that you will maintain your present living standard for the rest of your life?

PERSONAL SAFETY: Two hundred years ago most countries had no policemen, as we know them today. Now almost every country has a well-organized police force with modern equipment. Does this make you feel confident that your house will never be burgled, or you will never be mugged or otherwise victimized?

SECURITY: Today world leaders can speak with one another merely by lifting the telephone receiver. Additionally, nuclear weapons have made modern warfare unthinkable to any sane person. Does this make you confident that there will never be a third world war? Are you certain that civilization will still be here 50 years from now?

How did you answer these questions? If you answered them the way many others have, then they have reminded you of some basic weaknesses in human society. These weaknesses must be resolved before we can have any real confidence in the future. Now let us look at these questions again.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS​—And Your Future:

Happiness depends to a large extent on how you get on with other people. Even with perfect health and complete security, if you do not have warm personal relationships, you will be unhappy. And the closest and warmest relationships of all should exist in the family. Too often this is not the case.

A recent headline in Time magazine announced: “Illegitimacy soars as the stigma against it declines.” Also, many couples show an irresponsible attitude toward marriage. In Britain one in four marriages now ends in divorce, an increase of 400 percent in the past 20 years. The Roman Catholic Church forbids divorce. Yet Roman Catholics oftentimes break up their marriages by means of annulments. Through this loophole 338 marriages in the U.S.A. were “dissolved” in 1968. In 1980 the figure shot up to 32,000.

Another important personal relationship is respect for the aging. Respect for old people used to be automatic and caring for one’s aging parents a sacred duty. Often this is no longer true. Now many grown-up children no longer want to care for their parents. Worse, many elderly parents are physically abused by their children. “Domestic violence against the elderly is a burgeoning national scandal,” says U.S. politician Mario Biaggi.

The elderly, too, are easy game for young thugs. “‘Granny-bashing’ has now entered the catalogue of domestic crime,” reported London’s Daily Mail. Thus a headline in The Wall Street Journal proclaimed: “Many Elderly Women Fight Ill Health, Fear Of Crime, Loneliness.”

Do you not agree that such trends bode ill for your future, as well as for the future of all mankind?

HEALTH​—And Your Future:

In spite of medical advances no one can be sure what the future holds as far as his health is concerned. But there are things we can do to improve our prospects.

For example, according to the magazine World Health, “tobacco, especially cigarette smoking, accounts for about 30 percent of all cancer deaths in countries . . . where people have smoked substantial numbers of cigarettes for many decades.” Evidence also suggests a link between chewing tobacco or betel nut and cancer in the mouth.

Similarly, heavy drinking leads to cirrhosis of the liver and alcoholism, and it is implicated in many crimes, as well as in work and traffic accidents. Overeating produces overweight, with attendant heart and artery problems. Sexual immorality has produced a worldwide pandemic of venereal diseases, some of which are incurable. And the abuse of drugs (in addition to tobacco and alcohol) has produced a whole crop of problems. Would not avoiding these practices improve your prospects for a happy future?

Unfortunately, though, our health is not always in our own hands. Hundreds of millions are sick because of malnutrition. Pollution is also a health hazard.

But even if men were entirely wise in avoiding these health hazards, their future would still be a question mark. Not all serious diseases are caused by man’s misuse of himself and his environment. And, finally, death comes to all men. Will it always be like that?

FINANCIAL SECURITY​—And Your Future:

How can we ensure a reasonably prosperous future for ourselves and our family? Well, young people can study hard at school, equipping themselves for the future. Older ones can work diligently, practice thrift and build up a reputation for honesty and reliability. Some have insurance policies and pension plans. All of this can help. But, again, there are forces at work that can bring our plans to nothing.

Consider the food situation. The 1981 United Nations Fund for Population Activities reported that the food went to those who had the money to buy it. Those without money went hungry.

Then there is the problem of inflation. This can be a cruel destroyer of hopes. In Britain the purchasing power of the pound sterling is less than one fifth of what it was 17 years ago. Some nations have a regular yearly inflation rate of more than 100 percent.

Creeping unemployment adds to the difficulty. How can people plan for a happy future if they cannot find work?

Yes, because of an uncertain economic situation, many feel uncertain about the future. Do you?

PERSONAL SECURITY​—And Your Future:

What can we do to assure our personal security? To be honest, very little. If possible, we can avoid going into high-crime areas. We can install burglar alarms at home. We can try not to attract the attention of criminals.

Commenting on the crime situation, England’s Duke of Edinburgh said that the world today is like the Dark Ages. London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner confessed: “One could be forgiven for sinking under a sense of helplessness.” And Britain’s Lord Chief Justice said: “There has been, in short, a breakdown in the moral fibre of the country which it is far beyond the power of the law to repair.” For example, an intruder broke into the British Queen’s bedroom, despite high security. Of course, England is not alone in this dilemma of crime.

And there is an even greater threat to your personal security​—namely, the possibility of war. Canadian journalist David Lancashire warned: “With the growing sophistication of the weapons has come an increasing chance of accidental war by computer error. In a recent eighteen-month period the U.S. missile warning system signaled false alarms 147 times.” Dr. Helen Caldicott called the nuclear arms situation “almost out of human control.”

This review shows that the future happiness of all of us is threatened by the nations’ insecurity. And there is very little we, as individuals, can do about it. However, do not despair! Beyond the immediate dangers that are threatening all mankind, there is something else. Read the following article and learn how your future can be a happy one.

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Personal relationships

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Your health

Financial security

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Personal security