Changes in a changing world

When my father was born, the Wright brothers first took flight. In the last 107 years, look at the changes! Two world wars with fighting aircraft, supersonic flight, 800+ people in passenger jets, the Concord, space flight, the man on the moon, probes to Mars, Jupiter etc. , The Cold war, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and a bunch more skirmishes, space tourism.... and the list goes on.

Now some folks would say this is progress, and I would have to agree, up to a point. What started as a cool invention turned into a magnificent invention with many pluses all around. However, man still uses the flying machine to kill other people! Where is the progress? Just more people dying faster and from greater distances!

When I was a kid 65 years ago, the family was important. Couples stuck together, “’Till death Do Us Part”. Over the last 65 years, divorce has gone from “unthinkable”, to “ho, Hum” “next, please”. The divorce rate in the family has gone from near zero to approaching 50% of all marriages. This puts marriage into the category of a very bad investment, right up with buying a new car. What’s changed and why? I see the impact of the news media, particularly the “Soap Opera” as being a prime cause. Characters change partners as often as I change socks. This generation is growing up thinking this fallacy is the norm! If something goes wrong... Bail Out! Maybe the next partner will be better!

When I was a kid, we sang “God save the King/Queen” every morning in school and recited the Lord’s Prayer. We were taught the 10 commandments! Yes, in Public school. In fact, the meaning of the 10 commandments was taught! God was living to us. We had a sense of moral, ethical and accepted behaviour drummed into us. What`s changed in the world? The worst thing to happen in Canada was Pierre Elliot Trudeau who brought in the bill of rights. This led to minority groups shouting `` This is against the Charter of Rights`` Instead of saying `No`` The courts accepted the cry. Our judges are not elected. They are appointed. By whom? By the duly elected liberal government. As a result youth no longer have the solid platform that is called moral and ethical stability in the country. Again, television and the news media play up the killings, muggings, rape and other socially unacceptable behaviour. The unacceptable behaviour became the normal and now people are starting to wonder why the gang issues, why the failed marriages, why the anger and rebellion? Our youth has been desensitised by the violence etc that is seen in the media.

Again when I was growing up, you were responsible for your actions. If you broke a window playing ball, you paid for it. You also maybe got a licking to help make you remember. The parent was also responsible for the child’s behaviour. If something was stolen, the parent paid. For the youth that wouldn`t learn, there was also the potential of going to a school for juvenile delinquents. Now that was a dissentive! I remember several police officers in my home town that straightened out several boys. No marks, no questions, just a good old behind the woodshed episode. Seldom did they re-offend. My hat is off to the police officers in this day and age! How do you enforce, without some liberal hollering `police brutality``? Brutality? No, just downright effective! Did it hurt the person? No, at least not permanently. Was it abused? I can remember no instance where it was. In many case, the offender, also got a licking at home.

Everywhere you turn nowadays the youth is exposed to pornography to the point that the young ladies of the world have been reduced to mere objects. They have been dehumanized to the point where I believe that they themselves no longer have any sense of self worth. Again, look at the television. We have ``fashion shows`` where one designer (read pervert) tries to upstage another. Back when I was a kid, if it looked like a lady of the night, dressed like one and behaved like one, it probably was one. Now it is something that young ladies try to emulate, in dress, behaviour and eating habits. Again, a very negative influence on society.

Back when I was a kid, there were a few `closet` gays, but very few. We were taught that relationships were between members of the opposite sex, at appropriate times. Now we have gay pride where millions of people participate. It seems like Sodom and Gomorrah all over again!

Back when I was a kid, we showed parents respect! Now children are getting away with both rudeness and disrespect. Respect is earned! It is not earned by snorting cocaine, doing drugs, and otherwise getting high. Neither is it earned by giving the child $20 or $100 and sending them out to amuse themselves because the parent is to tired or too involved in the world to spend time with them.

Having said all this, I don’t mean to come off totally negative. There are good families out there! There are parents that are good role models. There are families that attend church together. There are good kids that can say “No” to peer pressure. However, I am glad that I am not a teenager dealing with the choices in this world today!

Dads, moms, stand up with your children. Get involved! Give them the spiritual grounding to cope in this world!

I read somewhere that if a mom takes the child to church there is something like 30 % of the children will be grounded in Christ. If a dad accompanies the mom and child, 90% will be grounded. Dad, you are the spiritual leader of the family. Start doing your job! Get involved! The consequences of not doing so are profoundly negative!

I know I’ve missed a bunch of issues to, please feel free to comment, straighten me out, or point out what I should have added.