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September 5, 2007
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January 11, 2007
Ignore Bush's Call for Sacrifice -- We've Lost Enough Already

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Iraq is our Responsibility

January 4, 2007
New Year's Resolution: A New Dawn

January 4, 2007
New Year's Resolution: The Invincible Principle

January 3, 2007
Forum: Discuss Generation Next and Religion

January 3, 2007
New Year's Resolution: Stretching

New Year's Resolution: Making 'My Space' 'Our Space'
By: Ted Nesi, Wheaton College
January 3, 2007 12:10 PM

There are many worthwhile resolutions Generation Next could make for 2007, from losing weight to saving money to driving less.

But there is one thing all of us can and should do in the New Year: get engaged. Not to your current love interest -- though congratulations if you do that -- but rather with the world around you.

It's never been easier to make connections than it is today, yet more and more we're isolated in our own insular bubbles. Society is becoming centered on the idea of "my space" -- our growing ability to tailor every detail of our world to our personal preferences, leaving out whatever we find dull, dry, or depressing. (Time Magazine even named "You" its 2006 Person of the Year.)

But in the meantime, "our space" -- those things we must share, from our towns to our planet -- receives our attention less and less, despite needing it more than ever. Not only are we all bowling alone; we never even leave the alley.

Luckily, this is an easy thing to change. Start by following the news. The greatest newspapers in the world are published free online every day. You can watch the whole nightly news without commercials on your iPod. And that's just the start.

Perhaps hearing a story will convince you to vote, or volunteer in your community, or join the Peace Corps; that's your decision. But at least pay attention. Knowing is the first step toward doing.

Comments

I think getting involved takes so much more discipline today. I watch young people download, listen and view their preferences. I often wonder what determines how they arrive at those preferences and how they will ever be able to get out side of "my space."
Posted by: P. Sollitto | January 4, 2007 3:08 AM

i think care will be contagious, once the population realizes that without love and insight for the future there really is no future to look forward to. well i hope people realize this.
Posted by: melody marie | January 7, 2007 10:47 PM

As a member of GenFormer -- now 63 years old -- I completely concur with Mr. Nesi when he implies that powerful change for the good is only possible when we rejoin "the marketplace" of intimacy, where the exchange of ideas and a revolution of the spirit can take shape. He gets my vote for president some day in the future, like 2008.
Posted by: Betsy Shea-Taylor | January 13, 2007 3:39 PM

I fit the gennext demographic and I agree it is important to join discussions online in any form. This will help to shape our views and open our minds to other points of view.
Posted by: Michael | February 20, 2007 6:40 PM

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