Have you ever thought it would be nice to travel back in time when life was less complex and a lot simpler? Then again simpler times for one may not be simpler times for another. For me it would be the days when I was a young child on a small ranch in Montana. Not just any day but a nice sunny day with just the right amount of a warm breeze. Those were perfect days for rolling up an old newspaper and mixing dish soap with water creating the perfect bubble blowing combination. There is just something peaceful about watching the sun reflect through soap bubbles creating a rainbow effect as they floated across the yard only to burst when they impacted something.<\/p>\n
Have you ever thought about the science behind the soap bubble? Have you ever wondered why dish soap and water makes great bubbles?\u00a0 According to Wonderoplis.org \u201cWhen soap mixes with water, the opposite ends of the soap molecules sandwich a thin layer of water between themselves. This creates a thin film that\u00a0encompasses\u00a0a tiny bit of air. What do we call that? A bubble! So, when you look at a bubble, what you’re actually seeing is a tiny bit of air trapped inside a thin film that’s composed of two layers of soap molecules encasing a thin layer of water.\u201d[1]<\/a> Though bubbles are fun and a great deal of entertainment for the young they are extremely fragile.<\/p>\n In the book The Coddling of the American Mind<\/em> authors Greg Lukianoff the president for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and social phycologist Jonathan Haidt explore the current fragility trend of students feeling emotionally unsafe that\u2019s taking place on America\u2019s College campuses. According to Lukianoff and Haidt the concept of safetyism the over protection of children by their parents[2]<\/a>, as well as, and three untruths have led to this problem.<\/p>\n The authors are clear to point out that they realize that students face problems, their overall concern is how they are thinking about their problems which in turn will determine how they are affected by them. The major concern about safetyism is it robs young people of much needed experience\u2019s that are important in helping them mature and gain life coping skills. It also causes \u00a0them to a victim mentality.[4]<\/a> The book points out the potential damage of creating intellectual safety bubbles that may lead to a greater level of anxiety and conflict when they enter the workforce and are faced with people with other contrary opinions.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n When looking at safetyism in a broader concept I cannot help but wonder how Christianity has been affected by the bubble mentality. Over 3 to 4 decades ago Christians actually interacted with the culture in which they lived. There were very few things that catered specifically to Christians in general. Since then we have been recognized as an audience of consumers which created a completely new entertainment brand, oriented toward Christians. Of course, this isn\u2019t all bad, but how can the church fulfill the \u201cgreat commission\u201d if we are all retreating into our own little bubble of safety and avoiding the everyday world, we live in? Didn\u2019t Jesus show up outside of where the normal religious people of His day hung out? The majority of the challenges He faced were from the religious community not the non-religious community. Life is risky and whether we like it or not the culture all around us is changing. Technology and life around us are moving faster than we care to admit. The answer isn\u2019t living in a bubble.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n For many the Christian bubble is real. It is easy to retreat into our world of praise and worship seldom venturing out to see what the world looks like. Some denominations are shrinking and yet others seem to be more concerned with their own comfort than that of their neighbors. How effective can we be living when we are living in a religious bubble? In a religiously diverse American culture, it\u2019s time to step out of the bubble mindset and think about building a few bridges. Bridges that will allow both parties to learn and gain mutual understanding.<\/p>\n I never homeschooled my four children, nor did I put them in a Christian school. They attended a public school. We chose not to exclude them from sex education talks and science classes discussing evolution. We definitely weren\u2019t perfect parents, but we did choose to be active parents. My wife and I met with every teacher and let them know we were people of faith. We requested advanced notice of when controversial topics would be taught so we had time to prepare each child and discuss how our faith interacted with each topic. We didn\u2019t limit our children\u2019s friend to people that attended our church, but we did create a home that their friends wanted to be, by providing a foosball table and ping pong table along with BBQ\u2019s. My children grew up making good and bad life choices just like I did, and they survived!<\/p>\n Bubbles are fragile things. Things are fine until they impact something that causes them to burst. When this happens, an individual has a choice to make, whether to blow a new bubble or start building bridges.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.wonderopolis.org\/wonder\/why-does-soap-make-bubbles<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure<\/em>, (New York; Penguin Books, 2018) 29<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, 4<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, 31<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, 8<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n