paranoid

anybody heard of the jonas brothers? hehe. these teenage brothers have captivated screaming teenage girls across the world for the last couple years after riding the miley cyrus train to stardom.


they're all over the tv and magazine circuit because of their newest album which was released recently, with their headline song 'paranoid'--an ironically upbeat nod to the dark side of teenage depression. check out these lines "everytime i turn around something's just not right...I don't know how to act cause i've lost my head...can somebody stop the noise...i'm about to freak, come to my rescue."



it's actually a beautiful and confusing merger of honest lyrics that clearly represent the feelings of a LARGE segement of the teenage population. the beautiful part is that someone has accurately communicated the mental agony of growing up, where kids are blitzed with thousands of noisy messages everyday from parents, media, teachers, friends--and worst of all--their own feeble sense of self. the confusing part is that the song is upbeat and celebratory. not knocking the song or the band at all, just identifying a scary irony that there are teenagers all across the world rocking out to this tune, and in so doing, subtely absorbing the meaningful lyrics that resonate deeply with their adolescent existence. . .

what am i saying? simple: depression, anxiety, stress, fear and the paranoia it causes in the mind is a huge problem across the landscape of mid-adolescence. more and more teens are struggling with serious mental/emotional fatigue for multiple reasons, and there's a serious need for them to be heard...really listened to and loved. teens sit in the tension between childlike emotional maturity and adult driven philosophical messages. they need help navigating the waters in between because they often feel like they're drowning. and lots of times we don't make it out of those years with a very healthy sense of truth.

action point: to make a difference in the world at anytime, here's a very simple idea. start up a conversation with a teenager. ask them about their world and how it feels to be where they are and who they are. then just listen to them and support them from a close distance. let them know you care, and without giving advice, encourage them. one of the most loving gifts any of us can be given is a voice in our lives that builds us up and reminds us who we are. remind them that they are loved and created by God who promises to prosper them and give them a hope and a future (jeremiah 29:11) then be God-in-skin and just 'be there' for them through facebook or myspace, or whatever online community they're connected to. let them know you're "for" them, and from time to time drop them a note and check-in to listen. you'll never know how much that will mean in their lives...even if they never tell you.