Have We Lost Our Sense of Morality?

Our country is clearly focused on greed, as evidenced by the most successful game shows on television; people cry, scream, and jump for joy on Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, The Million Dollar Password, Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Jeopardy, etc. But greed is not the only vice flooding the land; sexual permissiveness flourishes in high school (sometimes even in middle schools), in magazines, in our fascination with movie stars, in our movies and videos, becoming outright porn which knows no boundaries ever since the Supreme Court decided that the First Amendment included the right to produce and watch the filthiest behavior humans are capable of.

I am no prude; as a man, I enjoy watching sexy women. Eroticism is in intricate part of our psyche. We have witnessed what happens to a society when its rulers repress all healthy  sexual tendencies and expressions, whether in literature or in film; the early Puritans come to mind. Today's women use make-up to look more attractive and desirable to the other sex. Men inflate their pectorals and flex their biceps to express their readiness to wed and reproduce, just like peacocks display their magnificent colors. That's normal and necessary. On the other hand, homosexuality is a reality, not a sick condition that can be cured, but I don't see why gay people should demand the right to marry just like an ordinary heterosexual couple. They should keep their activities private; most of us agree that a marriage is a ritual that precedes reproduction and thus should not be misused for other purposes.

The next vice that seems to become more prevalent in this nation is hypocrisy, starting with our politicians. It is almost impossible to obtain a clear answer from any of them. The media marvels at the few straight-talkers, which is why people like Hermann Cain and Newton Gingrich seem to have the upper hand in debates. Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, and even Jon Huntsman, struggle to answer a simple Yes or No question. There is nothing more irritating than a Congressman being interviewed: he or she hems and haws around the question until the reporter presses for a clear answer. Politicians often claim to espouse a certain position when in reality they support another: It is called political expediency. Mitt Romney is a clear example; he goes with the wind, flip-flopping like a kid during recess. Let's not forget the apogee of hypocrisy: the so-called religious men and women who beat their chests, claiming to be good Christians, going to church regularly dressed in their Sunday best, and cheating their fellow citizens on Monday. Somehow, I can't help thinking about bankers and financiers; right, Madoff?



Lies and cover-ups abound in this great nation. We desecrate the bodies of fallen soldiers by dumping their ashes in a common grave: cover-up by the brass. We humiliate Iraqi prisoners in Abu-Dhabi and responsible officers try the quash the scandal: cover-up. Penn State explodes at the sordid news: A coach rapes innocent boys and the man in charge, Paterno, apparently doesn't take the necessary steps to protect other kids. A New York congressman, Wiener, lies about sending lewd photos. A governor lies about going to Argentina to visit his mistress. Bill Clinton lying to Congress about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Catholic priests and their superiors covering up their scandalous sexual behavior. Is it surprising that modern youth consider "normal" what their grandparents view as outrageous?

Our present society, as I have mentioned before, has become far too permissive. Discipline is now seen as a "dirty" word that parents should avoid, except maybe for the flogging judge and his followers. We haven't been able to define the limits of what we can and can't do to raise our children. As parents and teachers, our hands are often tied by government regulations, thus creating teens who say:" I am going to call the police if you punish me or if you leave me alone tonight."



As a result, children are exposed to defective role models through television, movies and video games. Our role as a father or mother, if they care at all, is to limit the damage by trying to explain that it's not O.K. to lie and cheat and have uncontrolled sex. As difficult as raising a child may be, today's society has made it much more challenging. The real heroes are those who manage, against all odds, to raise kids who will be an model of morality and good citizenship.

OF SHEEP AND SHEPHERDS

A friend once told me that the human world is composed of sheep and shepherds; 99% of the former and 1% of the second.Though he is perhaps exaggerating, his point is well taken. The concept can easily be applied to religion, of course, and even more to politics, although both may fuse into one area in some cases. Thomas Jefferson famously said that he preferred to make up his own mind in all matters, and in particular in politics. Luckily for us, he and his colleagues became the shepherds of a new nation.


In today's society, some modern technologies contribute heavily to the "sheep" factor. Think advertising through television and through the web. Selling merchandise and ideas has suddenly become a lot easier since one can reach hundreds of millions of viewers, read "sheep", in a few seconds. Rare is the human being who can resist the "free gift", the "last opportunity", the "unique item", the "incredible offer", the "absolutely free" pitch, or the "become rich like me" method. The incredibly vast world of publicity and propaganda relies on most people's natural tendency to believe what they see and hear, because it is much easier to go along with other people than to forge one's own path.

In politics the same "do what they do" attitude prevails. Few congressmen (women) take the initiative to present new bills that may improve our lives as citizens. They are severely manacled by their leaders, thus limiting their field of activities. They go along or, as a fellow teacher once told me, they don't stick their heads above the water for fear of losing it. We could easily reduce the number of representatives by 50% and the country would not only save a bundle in benefits, but also in the time it takes to get intelligent ideas through the maze. Perpetual reelection is also a taboo subject, sometimes known as "term limits". Politicians prefer to follow the herd, knowing that they will be rewarded eventually by "special favors" from the all-powerful lobbies. Only the occasional sexual misbehavior can put an end to their hallowed careers in Washington.


Science does not escape the "sheep" factor. As a scientist friend once confided, 90% of people working in some scientific field or other are content to go through the motions. Any new idea that does not meet with the approval of the respective community is derided and shot down. "The Earth is not flat" assertion cost some good people their lives during the Dark Ages. Einstein met with ridicule when he first posited his revolutionary theory. Psychic and reincarnation books were an important part of Edison's personal library and, of course, he was mocked for stating that atoms possessed some kind of intelligence. The "sheep" tend to make fun of anything they don't understand, trying to bring down to their limited level any mind that dares present novel ideas.


Now that the feverish back-and-forth negotiations take place at the last minute to raise the debt ceiling, we again witness the "follow the others" behavior. Do not speak against your party members, as Newt Gingrich did recently, or forgo the opportunity to get reelected. The result is one party against the other, Republicans against Democrats, a possible stalemate that will gravely damage the ability of the United States to pay its debt. Limiting representatives to two years means that the minute they step into the Capitol they already plotting how to get reelected. Why not increase the time they serve (?) our nation to four years and limit reelection to three consecutive terms? Same for the Senate; we sometimes witness doddering members well past the age of reason still sitting in their chairs while enjoying a much needed nap. Establish the maximum age at 75 and thus avoid important votes from going astray. Isn't our nation's future more important than the ego of a few senior citizens?


Let's face reality: Modern society needs "sheep", just as the most prestigious universities need the help of the most ordinary people. Nature is reluctant to create geniuses, one in a million may be too much, just as it is reluctant to create very low functioning humans. The Gaussian distribution places 90% of people in the middle within one standard deviation. Balance is the key in all natural fields until Man messes everything up.