Indifference and apathy are everywhere. Australian evangelist JOHN SMITH reflects on how people have lost the zest for life.

John Smith

Someone has said of the 20th century, "This is the Age Of No Passion". On first hearing this, I scoffed. Is this not the age of uninhibited expression of sexual obsession on screen, computer and billboard? On deeper reflection my attitude changed. The difference between the instinctive momentary orgasm of sexual fulfilment and the abiding power of passion for a great cause, a life transforming idea, or a meaningful commitment became overwhelmingly apparent to me.

This is an age when most education is for the purpose of qualifications, prestige, work - survival. I clearly remember in my early youth the old tradition of many Labour Party working class folk who passionately studied history, economics, even philosophy, in their spare time. They wanted simply to know, to find out, to be able to passionately debate the great issues of our time. No doubt they are still around, but they are an exception rather than a tradition these days.

Fukuyama, some years ago, described this latter portion of the 20th century as "the end of history". He claimed we had exhausted great ideas and that no great motivating thought remained to inspire modern civilisation. For him, the surviving passions are nationalism and tribalism, which, lacking any deeper sense of humanity, in fact currently threaten many regions.

Similar to the word passion is the term enthusiasm. As with many great words, this one has deeply religious roots. It simply comes from two Greek words "en" and "theos", which in the centuries of great ancient Greek culture meant "in God" or "possessed by the gods". When a thinker, an Olympic champion or a religious devotee showed passionate enduring commitment, they were believed to be possessed by the divine. Enthusiasm is scarcely more alive than when it is inspired by a sense of ultimate meaning and purpose. When I am filled with the sense that God loves me and there is a profound reason for my life, enthusiasm is born beyond personal and nationalistic narrowness of interest.

For me, one of the saddest aspects of 25 years' experience as a youth worker is the widespread sense of boredom, lack of zest for life and aimlessness of a large proportion of youth. Thoreau claimed that "none are so old as those who have outlived their enthusiasms". By that definition many teenagers are already old before they have barely started the journey.

In a fine article by Reverend Ron Elbourne on this subject, I found several heart-stirring quotes. J R Seeley, author of Ecce Homo, states: "No soul is pure that is not passionate, no virtue is safe that is not enthusiastic." Pamela Johnson, speaking of Carey, a fellow novelist: "He saw everything twice as large and nine times as lovely as other people."

St Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers, said: "The glory of God is a human being fully alive."

In an age of shallow passions and shaky convictions, we need to recover personally a sense of Wesley's hymn "Lost In Wonder, Love And Praise". When the soul is full of faith, hope and meaning, enthusiasm is born for all we see and do.