Growing up without Pluto
I know it now seems like ancient news but incase you have been under a rock the last few years Pluto is no longer a planet! Thats right ladies and gentlemen Pluto has been re-categorized as a dwarf planet, a phrase that may not even be politically correct. I mean how does that make Pluto feel?!? Since the thirties it has held the identity as the farthest planet in our solar system from the sun. Nowreclassified into obscurity. In fact the only hope that Pluto has is landing a reality television show whereby the little planet that was can struggle through addiction, depression, and whatever else will help the ratings. Either way the outcome is inevitable, my kids will think Pluto is just a dog that is Mickeys best pal and nothing else.
One thing is becoming increasingly clearer the world my kids will grow up in is much different then the world that I grew up in. I remember when phones had chords and video games had joysticks. And who would have ever thought that DVDs would become a thing of the past or that the video store would be replaced with a small red box located outside of gas stations?!? Baggy jeans have been swapped with skinny jeans and Mr. Rogers sweaters are somehow now in vogue. And lets not even mention that you dont have to take your Bible to church because it is now an app on your phone!
Yes the world has changed and will never again be the same. So what does a world without Pluto look like and why is it important to understand the change? Because the desired goal for the Christian leader has not changed, yet the manner in which he/she goes about influencing will be in a constant state of flux. Let me say that another way: our methods for influencing alter and evolve but the desired outcome of our influence is constant. Hopefully then you can see the importance for understanding the ever-changing world in which we exist. Here are a few thoughts about that world
A world without Pluto is where:
- Everyone lives next door to everyone
In his 2005 best selling book The World is Flat Thomas Friedman reported that the world had been flattened and analyzes the globalization of our world in the 21st century. One of those flatteners was the invention of the World Wide Web in the early to mid nineties in which the internet provided tools of both connectivity and commerce was the creation of easy-to-install and easy-to-use commercial browsers. In other words the Internet allows everyone to live next door to everyone.
- Sexuality has gone topsy-turvy and superheroes have come out of the closet
This past summer the original Green Lantern character Allan Scott, who is a member of the Justice League that includes the likes of the Flash and Superman, has come out as an openly gay man. Now Green Lantern is not the first comic book character to be gay, and he probably wont be the last, but he is the most prominent. The shift is significant to say the least for the world without Pluto is one where the definition of hero has expanded. While there have always been gay people in society, now the most prominent of heroes can be gay, which is one more step towards acceptance and celebration of the homosexual lifestyle.
- Everyone has a voice but very few a message
It is an amazing feat to consider that an eleventh (some even more) of the world is networked through social media! We live in a world of digital white noise. To step into our world is like walking into a crowded room where millions of people are having ten different conversations simultaneouslyprimarily just to hear themselves talk. Yes the world has been flattened and part of globalization is that everyone has a voice. But that doesnt mean that everyone has a message. The difference between chatter and a real message is this: a message has a thesis and a desired outcomeidle chatter has no central message and no desired response.
- Fame has been elevated above influence
If you dont believe me on this then just flip through any basic cable package, and make sure you are holding a vomit bag when you do. Reality television has taught us that people can be famous for just being famous, just look at Keeping up with the Kardashians or that Jersey Shore could run for six seasons! It seems as if our culture has become intoxicated with watching the perverted drama of people who became famous from making a sex tape with their rapper boyfriend. One who influencesa leaderhas a message that burns within in them and operate with the conviction that human beings were not created for fame.
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