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The Young and the Foolish-Janes Sunday Sermon
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The Young and the Foolish-Janes Sunday Sermon


I grew up in the 60's


The Music was by Peter Paul and Mary and often used to inspirethe many civil rights marches and antiwar rallies of that time.


In my generation young people were involved in big struggles.

Struggles to help African Americans gain the right to vote. Struggles to end the war in Vietnam.


It was a turbulent time.
It was a time of action.


It was a time of The Peace Corp where young people went off to serve many around the world and, in so doing, opened their eyes and their hearts to the less fortunate and the underserved.


Often they gained a profound appreciation of their own country as they stretched out their hands to others.


Young people were not asking what is for free. They were not asking what's in it for me.


They gave of their time.
Some gave their lives.


My cousin, Andrew Goodman at age 20-gave his life on June 21st, 1964.


He was murdered in Mississippi for the crime of trying to help African Americans register to vote.


Andy's  death, alongside of Mickey Schewner and James Chaney, helped spur the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights act and The Voting Rights Act of 1965.


When young people truly get involved in their country and their world, there are no limits to what they can accomplish and sometimes at great cost.


But...


When young people stand by the thousands and cheer for false profits that is where I have to draw the line and say no! This is not who we are  whether we are 17 or 70.


I watched from my window the other day as thousands of young people, mostly NYU students, gathered in Washington Square Park across from my house.


I heard the now familiar raspy, grumpy voice of Bernie Sanders as he outlined a vision for the future that was filled with what's for free and what's in it for me. This empty rhetoric plays like a never ending broken record and loops into the heart with emotions of anger resentment and fear.


It tears down the country and then offers sophomoric solutions to complex problems. It is a selfish vision for the country-not one I would like the young people in my life to share.


It is so easy to stir up anger resentment and fear and to provide simplistic answers to large, cheering mobs.


Trump does it with relish on the GOP side as his followers cheer hate and exclusion and violence.


The press covers these "outsiders" in our elections as if large crowds filled with hate and resentment are worthy of our time and consideration.


They are not.


The endless talking heads on TV uplift the Sanders campaign with reverence.


What are they reveling in?


As a woman who grew up in the 60's I have heard the coded words over and over again that come directly from the Sanders campaign and are sanctioned by him.


“She is not qualified. She lacks judgement. She made a deal with the Devil. She earns too much money-She is devious and deceptive"


If you have been around any length of time, you have heard these kind of things leveled at you or at a co-worker and
they are leveled at woman not men and often by men.


This has become a sad, dreary and depressing campaign on both sides.


I watched the Democratic debate on Thursday and when it ended, I felt sick to my stomach.


Grown people yelling at each other as if the loudest of their voices or the wagging of  a finger could enlighten anyone.


It was not a proud moment for our country.


It is wonderful when young people get involved in elections. When they want to change the world, they can surely do it but...


When they have set, as their goals, getting stuff for free then we have  certainly set our sights as a country very very low.


When the "outside" candidates of both parties have fine-tuned their message on tearing  down the country instead of lifting it up, then we have nothing of value to offer our young people and as the supposedly older and wiser generation, we have failed miserably.


We are better than this this. We are better than current crop of out of the box and off the wall wannabe leaders that the press has chosen to embrace and promote.


We need to tune out the noise and the crazy old men who aspire to highest office in the land by taking the lowest roads possible.


Low roads will land you in the mud and leave you covered with dirt.


Right now our leaders and our press and a minority but vocal part of the electorate is embracing a ship of fools.


If we continue to get on board with them, we will sink like a ship full of garbage to the bottom of the sea.


Even if you are young, you do not need to be foolish.


Let's lift our sites higher.


Jane Mark is a business woman, a writer and the author of several books. She is the President of Sokule Inc. and JAM Marketing Inc. two online advertising agencies that provide marketing tools and services to business online.


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