Why Are Millenials Dying?

My day job is running a cool software company that transforms public data into actionable insight.  I write a weekly blog that analyzes issues around community health and postsecondary education. These past few weeks I have been writing about the alarming trends in the mortality or death rates. Last week I wrote on the causes of death that have spiked up in recent years which include external causes such as substance abuse and behavioral disorders. This week I wrote about the death rates among ages 15-44 which have spiked in recent years, and especially the 25-34 year old age group which has spiked 19% from 2014-2016 as noted in the following graph. There is an associated video blog on the topic.

As the parent of three millennials, I was staggered by this, but not totally surprised. Why is this generation in essence killing themselves over just a three or four year period?  My prayer is that these thoughts spur yours and cause you to reflect.

• This generation is the first full social media generation. There are some really good things to like about social media. It has enabled me to reconnect with old friends for example. But it is not social and it has rapidly devolved into a platform for shouting my opinion. I believe it has ruined the ability to practice empathetic listening. We as a culture have rapidly lost the ability to listen to others. Terry Pluto wrote an excellent article where he deemed this the age of rage.
• Millenials by and large that I talk to (I am also the parent of three of this generation) have a very strong interest in making the world a better place. But they are also the same generation that expects rapid results and they become impatient and frustrated when they can't effect change. Because millennials seem to be less interested in filling gaps with tangible things, this breeds a deep self-reflective cause of frustration. 
• We as a culture simply no longer take time to reflect and meditate. Deb and I were just discussing this today. My phone cries for my attention. I get deeply busy, but I lose a little piece of cognitive awareness and self-reflection with each battle for my attention.  
• But I believe the biggest reason by far is this generation is the first to believe that a personal, creator God has no interest in them and they have no interest in a personal, creator God. The most recent Pew study cites a large rise in "Unafilliated" rise in religious identification. They are the "None" generation as Andy Stanley calls them. 

It comes down to a set of foundational beliefs that occur in a critical order.

• A belief in a personal God who created me and gave Himself up for me 
• A priority in building into that same relationship
• Because of the vertical relationship with a holy God, there comes a priority on horizontal personal relationships with others who are created in the same image. 
• A focus on listening empathetically (something that I am working on). This is why Jesus said the first and foremost commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself". 
• Putting a priority on anything that might drive a wedge in either of those relationships. For example, while I have an opinion on the events of our day, I try to stay away from anything that will alienate or drive a wedge in those relationships.  

Leaving Family, Going Home

Whenever I have an employee take another job, I always ask the same question. Are you "going to something" or "leaving from something". This is a matter of gauging intent. The strange thing is when someone dies, they are doing both and it is not a question of intent. They are going home and they are leaving family. They are ripped from those closest to them but ushered into a new home, one they have always longed for. This brings this a strange conundrum of mourning and celebration together.

My friend Greg Gerycz passed away suddenly Thursday morning. Greg was part of a circle of friends that we have been close to for many years. Greg was my age so it reinforced a sense of my own mortality. It has really brought it close to home. Greg leaves a loving wife Gail and two adult boys, two daughters-in-law, and one grandchild. Greg had a relationship with Jesus Christ and I am confident that he was ushered into his presence on Thursday.

Home is somewhere we long for. To the believer, this world is not our home. We are sojourners and ambassadors, but not citizens. Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20) and we eagerly desire to go there. Jesus is putting the light on (to quote the Motel 6 commercial) and preparing the place for us to go (John 14:1-3) and it will be a lovely place indeed (Psalm 84). Most importantly, Greg is now forever in the presence of Jesus, something we groan for (Rom. 8:23, 2 Cor. 5:2). From 1998 or so to 2005, I traveled a lot. I was gone most every week. It never got old to arrive back home and be back in my own house with my family. Greg has been on a very long business trip; he got a lot done; built a lot of friendships, but now he has arrived home. And that is cause for celebration.

So why do we also mourn? Because Greg has left us. Death is a result of the fall, resurrection is a result of the gift. So death carries a bitter sting (1 Cor. 15:56) - someone is ripped from our presence leaving a huge hole. I find it interesting that when Jesus raised Lazarus to life, he wept before doing so. Jesus knew He would heal Lazarus - that is why He delayed. So why would He weep? Because Jesus in his perfect humanity knew the pain death leaves behind. So mourning is to be expected. But the Scriptures say we are not to mourn as those who have no hope (1 Thess 4:13).  We can say the Bible is full of hope. The word hope appears 132 times in the Bible. Why - because our hope is in Christ and that means reunification. The Berlin Wall separating us from loved ones who pass on will eventually come down. We will soon be with Greg again. The closing words of 1 Thess. 4:18 states it perfectly "therefore comfort one another with these words".

Life as a Video Game

It seems like there are waves of time in our lives where the struggle of life and death become more and more real. In the past several weeks, we have had numerous friends lose loved ones. Some of these were longstanding illnesses and in some cases they were abrupt and unexpected. Each has its own challenges. How do you go through life on this earth where the struggle of death permeates so? 

Last week I was listening to a podcast by Radiolab called "The Cathedral" and I was profoundly moved by listening to this. It is about a family who struggles through the terminal illness of their child. The father is moved to create a video game called "That Dragon Cancer" that lets the player personally experience the challenges of this type of situation. But it is beyond that - it is how you experience the joys and sorrows of life and death. You can listen to the podcast below - it runs about 32 minutes but worth your listening.
 

I just finished reading the book "Happiness" by Randy Alcorn. The Bible has much to say about the sheer joy we experience by knowing the Lord God personally. Life in the kingdom is going to be one massive party. We can experience that in part now. But then life is punctuated by the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:56). That is an accurate depiction of life in this world during the fall. It is the preview of the kingdom, but the reality of the fall. This video game seems to do a really nice job of capturing that conundrum.