The older generation has difficulty understanding the young mothers who do not vaccinate their children against so many possible diseases. We come from the generation where our mothers had gone through the polio scare. When a vaccine to immunize against polio became available, our mothers lined us up immediately.
An interview done with health people in Quebec showed that when the nurse approached the young mother about vaccination of her baby she received the explanation that “there are no measles around. No one has measles.” In the logic of the young mother, why would I vaccinate my child for the disease that does not exist?
In all honesty, the young mothers do not see any need for vaccinations to protect against disease that do not exist (in their own minds that is).
This insight moves over to ‘why belong to a church, service group or the larger community’ when I have no need of these? As an individual I can look after myself completely.
Church is always the first community that people choose not to connect with or participate in. All our volunteer organizations, political parties, school groups and much of family life are disappearing from our society. When people need something they will come but to make a personal contribution by participation and hard work within the community, that is something else!
In this individualistic culture, you are on your own. In the past seven decades the social structures have broken down and disappeared. Who tells you how to marry, how to raise your children and to look after the people in your neighborhood? This has been exacerbated by the high mobility that employment brings. It is not uncommon to have the aged parents here in Saskatchewan, one daughter living in England, one daughter in Halifax and the other daughter in Whitehorse. Who is here to help when Mother is taken by ambulance to the emergency ward in the middle of the night?
When people identify themselves as spiritual and are very satisfied that their faith is good, they lead a good life, why would I look for a faith community? And there is such a strong perception that Church demands much of us. Why would I want to belong to something that will limit my lifestyle?
Our society and culture are headed into a narrow, severe loneliness in our future. There we will be, rich moneywise but so alone! No one needs us and we are distant from everyone else.
Only when people experience a deep emptiness in their lives will they turn back to community. Only then will we recreate the communities we need to thrive as human beings: a faith community, a school community, a town or city community.
Just because an individual may walk away from community does not mean their demanding human needs have disappeared. We are living on the junk food of individualism, while all the while our bodies are crying out for community, for belonging and for identity.
We need a second look to where we are going as a society.
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