We live in a disposable, 'cast-off and throw-away' society that

Hear now the lament of Myles Munroe, spoken with the gravity of a prophet: “We live in a disposable, ‘cast-off and throw-away’ society that has largely lost any real sense of permanence. Ours is a world of expiration dates, limited shelf life, and planned obsolescence. Nothing is absolute.” In this cry, he unveils the sickness of our age—the belief that nothing endures, that all things may be used, consumed, discarded, and replaced. This is not merely the way of objects and machines; it has seeped into our relationships, our commitments, our very souls.

The ancients revered permanence. They built temples of stone, carved laws into tablets, and bound their lives to sacred covenants. To them, the word once spoken was sacred, the promise once given unbreakable. Yet now, as Munroe declares, we live amid planned obsolescence, where not only products but values, bonds, and even truths seem designed to decay. A garment is worn and discarded, a device is purchased only to be outdated, and even love is abandoned when it no longer pleases. Thus, the human heart grows restless, never rooted, always drifting.

History warns us of what happens when permanence is cast aside. Consider the fall of Rome. As the empire grew decadent, loyalty to principles, traditions, and duty faded. Citizens traded the eternal ideals of the Republic for bread and circuses, for pleasures that vanished with the passing day. The strength of Rome did not crumble first on the battlefield, but in the hearts of its people, who had forgotten that greatness is built upon endurance, not convenience. The collapse of permanence is the collapse of civilizations.

Munroe’s words pierce deeper still, for they remind us that when nothing is absolute, despair soon follows. A child who cannot trust his parents, a spouse who cannot trust fidelity, a citizen who cannot trust justice—all these are victims of a throwaway culture. If all things may be discarded, what then is sacred? If permanence is lost, how can hope endure? Humanity becomes like leaves in the wind, blown from one fleeting moment to the next, without anchor, without root.

Yet, though the age teaches impermanence, the soul longs for what endures. We seek love that does not fail, truth that does not change, values that are not abandoned. It is within us to resist this culture of disposability, to choose instead the path of lasting commitment. Every vow kept, every truth upheld, every relationship nurtured despite hardship, is a stone set in the foundation of permanence. These are the acts that defy the spirit of obsolescence and restore the dignity of the eternal.

The lesson is clear: do not surrender to the lie that all things must fade. Build your life upon principles that cannot be bought or discarded. Let your words be trustworthy, your promises firm, your relationships enduring. Honor the past, protect the present, and build for the future—not only for yourself, but for generations who will inherit what you leave behind. In this way, you resist the tide of a disposable age and create something that time cannot erode.

Therefore, beloved listener, take Munroe’s wisdom as both warning and guide. Guard against the lure of constant replacement. Treasure what lasts—family, faith, truth, honor. When the world cries, “Nothing is absolute,” answer with your life: “Some things endure.” For permanence is not found in things that rust or fade, but in hearts that remain steadfast, in principles that never bend, in love that endures unto the end.

And so let this teaching be etched upon your soul: “We live in a disposable, ‘cast-off and throw-away’ society…” but you need not be disposable. You may stand as one who resists the flood of impermanence, a living witness that what is eternal still matters. By your choices, you can rebuild the spirit of permanence and light the path for generations yet to come.