Aging Vision

Armodoxy for Today: Aging Vision

Today’s message is prompted by a radio news caster who reported, “The two presidential candidates are campaigning this weekend, sharing their vision for the future.”

Here in the United States it is election year. The candidates from the two major parties are well seasoned, in their golden years, or plainly, up in years. One is over 80 years old and the other is not too far behind. And they’re out about the country, “sharing their vision for the future.”

You must wonder, and at least I did, what vision? And what future? These octogenarians might have wisdom from living their lives, but are they entitled to set a vision for the future of the children?

Most casualties during war – battle-time fatalities – are to kids between the ages of 17 and 25. In Armenia, one of the most sobering moments you’ll experience is at Yrablur, near Yerevan, where tri-colored flags fly over the graves of soldiers of the 44 day war of 2020 and the battles with Azeris since then.

We may call them soldiers, but they are young kids who will never get older, kids who were called up to fight because of someone’s vision to fight fire with fire.

Here in the United States, we have a day set aside every year, in May, to remember those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. We call that day Memorial Day. For the parents and families of these children thrown into war, every day is a recurring nightmare called Memorial Day.

The future belongs to the young. With all due respect for our matured senior citizens and the wisdom they have acquired during their lifetime, I have to ask, have we created a world so great that we have the audacity to set a vision for the future of these children? How about asking them? What is their “vision of the future”? What are we afraid of? That they may say they’d like to enjoy life? That they may want to live without the fear of violence? That they may want a world that is free of the pollutant of hate and intolerance? That they may find a way to negotiate understanding?

We remember the sacrifice made by all those who laid their life down for something greater, whether for the ideal of freedom or the safety of their loved ones. May God rest their souls. We also take time to articulate a new vision, one for peace. In the words of His Holiness Pope Francis, “Please. Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace.” (CBS 60 Minutes 5/19/24)

We end with a simple prayer, one which articulates the vision of God expressed on the night of our Lord Jesus’ birth: Peace on Earth, good will toward one another. Amen.

Cover: Yrablur by Luna & Gregory Beylerian, 2023