Anthem: A Way of Life
By Dcn. Jim Corder
'Cause I don't ever wanna. I don't ever wanna be ...
You ... don't wanna be just like you
What I'm saying is this is the Anthem -- throw all your hand up.
You. Don't wanna be you
Big Decisions
What is your anthem? Webster's Dictionary defines the word anthem as a hymn of praise or loyalty. Are you the kind of person who says, “I go with the crowd,” or do you tend to say “I do what is right, even if it's against the crowd.”
The band Good Charlotte, in their popular song "The Anthem," describes the need to sometimes be different. In this song, it seems as though the singer is being pressured to go to college even though he/she wants to do something else. All of us have times when we are pressured to do things we don't want to do. Many times it will be hard to see the right thing to do. Sometimes these gray areas of life are the toughest decisions we will ever make. Many times they are also the biggest decisions of our lives.
It's a new day, but it all feels old.
It's a good life, that's what I'm told
But everything it all just feels the same
And my high school it felt more to me
Like a jail cell -- a penitentiary
My time spent there it only made me see
The
truth is that just because others are doing something doesn't make that
decision right. It might be right, but you must look closely at the decision.Seek Wise Counsel
What are those you consider good friends telling you? Which friends are honest and willing to help you make such decisions? Listen to friends who aren't just concerned with how such decisions affect them, but rather what is really the best thing for you to do. In order to make a good decision, ask your true friends for advice.
What are trusted adults telling you about the decisions? Especially your parents, but also priests, youth ministers, teachers, and other adults can help to inform you about making certain decisions. Also, they are more likely to have wisdom from personal experiences than your peers are. In order to make good decisions we need to get information from adults we can trust.
Go to college, a university
Get a real job, that's what they said to me
But I could never live the way they want
I'm gonna get by and just do my time
Out of step while they all get in line
I'm just a minor threat so pay no mind
Most of the highly respected people who have lived before us in this world -- especially the people the Church recognizes as saints -- are people who made decisions based on what is right -- not what the crowd said they should do. They did what was right, and sometimes it cost them. For some, as in the case of holy martyrs, it cost them their lives. Such people make decisions because they are right, truthful, and just. These are great people for us to model when it comes to making tough decisions.
Let God Help You with Your Decision
When
trying to make decisions that are good, just, and holy, we must also consider
what the Church has to say about our actions and decisions. The Catechism
of the Catholic Church has a lot to offer when it comes to making decisions.
It can help us to know what values we should use in order to make the best
possible decision. (CCC
1786) That I don't ever wanna be like you
I don't wanna do the things you do
I'm never gonna hear the words you say
Another place to go when making a decision is to see what Scripture has to say. Look for what Jesus had to say when it comes to making a decision. "What would Jesus do" is not just a nice slogan for a bracelet or a bumper sticker; it can be a way of life. What is it that we value and what principles do we stand on in order to make decisions that can be about the Kingdom of God? What better place to seek advice then in Scripture and by examining the life of Jesus and listening to His words?
What is Your Anthem?
So whatever decision you are making -- whether it's deciding what you want to do after high school, your career, or standing up for someone by guarding their reputation -- you need to search for the decision that upholds truth, that defends what is right, and that helps bring about justice.
Do you really want to be like them?
Do you want to be another trend?
Do you want to be part of that crowd?
What is your Anthem? What principles, values, or decisions are demonstrated by your actions? Hopefully, being accepted by the crowd is not your chief value. Hopefully, when it's all over, you can say that you basically make the world a better place by what you do.
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