By D. S. Mitchell
Some who know the Moorehead story may object to my publication of “The Paradox of Our Time (Age)”. Because, there is a devastatingly ugly back story about Dr. Moorehead.
Nose-dive
Moorehead was the leader of a congregation totaling more than 6,500 followers. In 1998 Moorehead was arrested in Florida for indecent exposure in a public bathroom. When his Florida arrest hit the newspapers back in Seattle, his life took a nose-dive. It wasn’t long before 17 men came forward with allegations that the good reverend was guilty of sexual abuse. Moorehead resigned in disgrace. It appears he avoided jail time because of statute of limitation issues. However, his condemnation of modern times remains with us.
Choose Your Source
Over the years the authorship of this essay has been hotly debated. It has been attributed to many sources, including comedienne George Carlin, an anonymous Columbine high school student and even the Dali Lama. Carlin vehemently denied the authorship before he died. In fact, he trashed the piece calling it, “a sappy load of shit”.
A Collection
The oldest reference to the following essay that I can find on the internet occurs in 1995. At that time Dr. Bob Moorehead, was pastor at Seattle’s Overlake Christian Church. He included the essay in, Words Aptly Spoken, a collection of prayers, homilies and monologues that he had used in his church sermons and radio broadcasts.
Old But Applicable
Despite George Carlin’s epitaph on the piece, I think it rings fundamentally true 25 years later. The simple comparisons, are powerful and probably more true today, than in 1995. The incongruities of modern-day life plague us 25 years later.
The Paradox of Our Time (Age)
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space.
We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less.
We plan more, but accomplish less.
We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.
We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or just hit delete.
