Humanly Crafted Safe Spaces

Several times lately I've heard references to mysterious "safe spaces." The idea captivates me. College students nowadays are catching a lot of grief over their vision of this concept, seemingly spineless and retiring, and I'm not sure I fully grasp all its connotations. I do know that never in my life have I occupied one---a truly safe space, that is. (After all, I'm a child of the Cold War.) 

As a child, my mother's work-worn hands were mostly too busy for me to often or for very long be wrapped in comforting and loving arms, and my father was far too emotionally disciplined to spend much time demonstrating such love. My siblings were at best vacillating, though somewhat willing, chaperons. At school, teachers and fellow students were, often as not, minimal threats or antagonists, as opposed to safety nets.

Through the following years of my life, of my rather blessed existence, danger of some kind has always lurked somewhere just beyond the spotlight---just at the edge of my awareness. This absence of safety has stalked me continually, though mainly passively, to this very day. I can't help but wonder if the current search for safe spaces actually helps explain the unwillingness to confront that is now observable within our hollow political correctness, multiculturalism, and globalism.

Life values that focus on what makes me happy and that laud difference over likeness  seem to lead to raucous insecurity rather than safety---to increasing lawlessness. A world view that lusts after the "rights" of the individual at the expense of the common good seems to me to bulldoze common sense and common decency---not, however, to somehow sidestep the effects of the always and ever rampant sins of greed and lust and selfishness. Similarly, overemphasis on the common has its own perils. At this point, I will simply stop, leaving much unsaid I know. I believe honest communication, though unable to solve most of our problems, can certainly help.

"Safe space" is a terribly attractive idea, and almost all people can appreciate its appeal. However, the concept is certainly not somehow new. If physical safety is nowhere to be found and has never been so, spiritual peace and security is assuredly available:

       You are my hiding place;

      you will protect me from trouble

      and surround me with songs of deliverance.

                                                ---Psalm 32:7

Our Christian acceptance of Jesus provides us with a deep-seated confidence and peace and sense of security. As we baby-boomers began to get caught up with our myriad and fascinating distractions, we began to consider Biblical truths of little value. And, as a result?  . . . what can we now really expect---our offspring look futilely for humanly crafted safe spaces.