The 16th October was marked as the 30th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II with extensive media coverage in Poland. Young people around the globe who identified with the Polish-born Pontiff call themselves the JP2 generation. In what way do you think they implement JP2's teachings in their daily lives? Has the late Pope's inspiration innoculated them against the toxic, egoistic anti-values being peddled by today's trashy pop culture?
I was in Canada for World Youth Day back in 2002. I saw JPII for the first time, and last time unfortunately. That was such an amazing experience. I wish we could have more people with ability to united human beings like him.
The JP2 generation are people who behave the same as other young people with one exception: form time to time they gather to pray and idolize JPII. Still, they cheat in the exams, drink, swear, have premarital sex and do not give a damn for Christian values. Their religiousness is very superficial. Truly religious people just live according to the religion and don't need to manifest it.
I guess the term 'JP II' generation was forged im promptu just after his death, and it even lacks exact definition. I was born some 2 weeks after his election, but by no means I would call myself as someone belonging to "Generation JP II".
I'm of the age in which I'm supposed to belong to JP2 generation and I'd never call myself that way (I'm having my apostasy tomorrow :) ). The media noticed some movement of young people around my age who manifest their religiousness (and only manifest) and somebody came up with the idea that it's the matter of the whole generation. That's all.
I remember that a week after JP2's death there was a concert in the Lodz cathedral. Before the concert, there was a mass for the pope's soul. I thought it would be cool to go to a free concert (Mozart's Requiem), so I went to the cathedral an hour after the beginning of the mass in hope that the mass would be over and I could find some place in the church.
The mass was horribly long and a lot of people came - they were standing outside, in the street, many of them wearing white. Finally, the mass ended and people started leaving (apparently not interested in the requiem), so I tried to get near the entrance and get in. It took a a very long time for the huge crowd to leave. People were squeezing and pushing one another as if they had been in a hurry. I was standing there and heard their comments. Mohair berets talked about the people squeezed around them with such hatred and despise that I was shocked - the only reason why they were so hateful was that they were squeezed in the same crowd and couldn't wait to get out. I've been to a lot rock concerts, mass festivals etc., where also I've been in a big crowd of people going somewhere through a narrow entrance, and no matter how 'satanic' the band was and how much squeezed the people were, they were always nice to each other and they didn't blame one another for the discomfort of standing in the crowd. I never witnessed such chamstwo as after the mass for JP2's soul. I really think low of Polish religiousness.
