Strange daze

Is it just me or do people these days seem to be lacking in morality? I remember the first time I heard what was considered a “bad word” on network television. I believe the word was “damn.” I was a bit shocked. I was even more surprised the first time I heard the word “ass” on network television. That kind of language was for PG movies, not regular television. That kind of language on public access airwaves is taken for granted these days and nobody really raises a big stink about it. People of all ages have grown accustomed to sexually explicit material in video games, network television, music, movies, etc. Younger generations consider what used to be thought of as indecent behavior and actions quite normal. Apparently, it is quite normal. It is the way things have become. Religion, spirituality, ethics, morals, or whatever you want to call the positive intangible principles that keep order in human societies is waning.

Every generation usually has some kind of comment about the ethical and moral breakdown of the society they live in compared to when they were younger. I am certainly aware of that. There was a time when jazz music was thought of as unscrupulous. Then it went to rock 'n roll. I don't need to mention all of the stuff people were raving about in the 1960s and 70s. A lot has happened since then, though. Leaps and bounds in technology have allowed a lot of information to be easily accessible by just about anyone at just about any time. All of that has an effect on a societies ethical and moral standards, which in my opinion, ain't what they used to be. I'm not quite sure when things started getting so weird, probably a very long time ago. Regardless of when things started getting funky, just by reading the newspaper or even simply objectively observing people in a mall or bar or restaurant, one can see that they are funked-up now like never before. Single parenthood, which used to be a major issue in the 1980s, is apparently accepted as part of life. People, especially the younger ones, are more violently aggressive even to the point of murder than in the past. Materialism has seemed to replace simply being friendly and kind to your fellow human being these days, too. Many people, again, especially the younger people, believe that whoever has the most stuff is the better person and they will go to almost any extent to get stuff. I could go on and on.

The evidence of immorality or whatever term one might use is obvious, but the cause is what is most important. The state of the world at present is in what has been politely described as a transitional period. If the world isn't in World War III now, it likely will be very soon. There is starvation, corruption, debauchery, and the world economy is not getting any better, to name just a few things. Also, as I mentioned previously, people are able to communicate with each other like never before. There is pretty much no place on the surface of the Earth that cannot be seen from a satellite or where “civilized man” has visited. I'm not a religious person, but these times we are living in resemble the times of Noah, whether you believe that story or not. People are selfish, there is corruption in all areas of society, including religious, and it seems like people get more respect for doing bad things than good things. Something is definitely wrong there.

People, for the most part, have forgotten about God, The Big It, Super-Something-Or-Other, Allah, Jehovah, or whatever, which has lead to a general lack of the peace that spirituality brings. Perhaps that is because people don't trust organized religions, and I don't blame them. I don't trust them either. But one must remember to not let one bad apple spoil the bunch. Love, which from my understanding is what God is all about, is the only way a person can truly get their soul soothed and balanced. To love one has to trust in one way or another and that is quite a personal risk, especially these days, but it is certainly worth it. Better to suffer a bit for the sake of trust and love than to spend your life alone in a self-made cell that constantly has to be repaired. I guess the best thing to do is love, love and more love to make the world a better place for everyone in it. There will be people who won't like it, and unfortunately I think a lot of those people are in power in the world, but they will just have to get over it. In the mean time, be nice to people, don't be afraid to smile, and remember that somebody loves you and it's always darkest before the dawn!