Monday Musings...
I ought to start calling today "Philosophy Mondays", because it always seems to wind up with some thoughts on the subject. But perhaps the "musing" part of the title says it all just as well.
In any event, let's see if we can jump-start this week into something more on the meaningful side, okay?
** There was a REALLY GOOD letter to the editor in yesterday's (local) paper that I believe NEEDS repeating:
((INSTILL TRUST IN YOUNG PEOPLE-
No trait can replace TRUST in a society.
No civilization has survived without it as a binding force.
Modernity is in a state of disarray because of the lack of this vital tie that binds.
Spouses do not trust each other.
Employees do not trust employers.
Gay people do not trust straight people.
Buyers do not trust sellers.
Citizens do not trust government.
The list goes on and on.
Webster defines trust as "to believe in a person or organization and in honesty, integrity, reliability and justice."
So, where has this irreplaceable trait disappeared to? It is my perception that the drive for personal advancement and success has pushed trust to the background in today’s society.
The only way I see to recoup this essential trait is to teach INTEGRITY as primary throughout our educational system.
We must somehow instill the capacity to believe in one another in our upcoming generation for humanity as we know it to survive.
CHUCK DOENECKE - Fort Wayne))
By God, Chuck...YOU "get it".
This man has reasoned the problem out. He has seen the issue before us. And he has the courage to call us on it.
He cites the word INTEGRITY...imagine that.
I have blogged here often enough (some would think it's more like a RANT...so be it) about the astounding LACK OF CIVILITY among people today. You can't go ANYWHERE without seeing SOME vestige of it. I don't care where you're at...you see it.
If affects ALL people of ALL nationalities, ALL races, ALL religions, ALL ages, and BOTH sexes...ALL at the SAME time.
Some days it makes me wonder how we keep motoring along with all this "excess baggage" being dragged about.
Chuck speaks to that empty chair at our societal table called TRUST.
Well, Chuck, we don't TRUST because so many have given so many OTHERS pause to question their motives. When you see people acting disrespectfully to one another, cheating each other out of whatever, stealing from each other, lying to one another, and basically tossing away most behavior we would deem as "civilized", you HAVE to question the reasons behind such antics.
First of all...TRUST (much like RESPECT) is something not freely given out, part and parcel. It HAS TO BE EARNED.
And it would appear that too many people today are too busy looking for their next "entertainment fix" to be bothered with earning ANYTHING (except a paycheck). And for those undeservedly on the "dole" (that would be the scores of lazy-asses sucking the welfare aquifer dry), they can't trust THEMSELVES most times, so why would they even understand the concept and think to apply it to OTHERS, hmm?
Now...how does one EARN trust...or respect in the FIRST place?
(good question...glad you asked)
You EARN it by WORKING AT IT (like anything else)...and THAT would mean by the way YOU behave towards others, AS WELL AS how you treat YOURSELF.
People WILL pick up on how you "carry" yourself, be it by the way you dress, the way you act in private or public settings, and how you speak. Those are the basic THREE elements...no getting around them.
Everything else is all the "fine-tuning" TO those basic three.
For example, when you have your britches down past your ass cheeks, dragging over your sneaker tops, loping along with worst posture that can be attributable to a HUMAN being, that doesn't really scream out "CORPORATE EXECUTIVE MATERIAL"...or even "MIDDLE MANAGEMENT POSSIBILITY", does it?
And if you open your mouth, and the mumble-laced, lazy English that spews forth befuddles even those with IQs under 100 (and linguistic scholars with ones WELL OVER 130), that isn't the BEST way to say to someone "I'M THAT HUMAN RESOURCES EXECUTIVE YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THESE LAST SIX MONTHS", right?
So you can readily see that people such as this are ALL TOO EASY to spot.
People have forgotten (by design or by choice) many of the "lost arts" of humanity, such as was mentioned above, and supplanted them with technological contrivances, designed to "streamline" their lives; make them "easier"...
All well and good, EXCEPT, all this crap is being used in such an irresponsible manner.
It's NOT being utilized to IMPROVE the "human condition" but rather TAKE THE PLACE OF IT.
And that's where we find ourselves today...with at least ONE entire generation DEVOID of such basic human traits as TRUST...and INTEGRITY...and CIVILITY..and yes, even MORALITY.
Now, how the hell are we going to get it all back?
Well, Chuck's on the right track.
Get something put (back) into schools that TEACHES people how to behave like...well...PEOPLE.
I said the other week, that back in *my* era, we had such "subjects" as WORK HABITS, and even BEHAVIOR. And they were GRADED in elementary school. Think of it as a proving ground for human interaction, as you entered the wonderful world of HIGH SCHOOL.
It was enough "culture shock" to be in a setting where we had SO many kids (and much, much more), but the saving grace, was that we had lessons in HOW TO BEHAVE. And we ALSO had parents that honestly gave a damn, and were a lot more involved than the dwindling numbers we see today.
Get the KIDS taught AS WELL AS the PARENTS. Seems THE PARENTS need lessons in human behavior as well, and shoving some CIVILITY down their throats would only make them BETTER people...instead of the riff-raff we see infesting our cities and towns today.
Naturally, the biggest changes could be realized in the "blighted" areas of cities. Poverty was NEVER a reason (and certainly not an excuse) to BEHAVE BADLY. And it should be AS true today, as it used to be in decades past.
People CAN still be taught.
Hell, damn near ANY creature can be taught to do SOMETHING, and the last time I checked we were STILL at (or damn near) the TOP of this roller-coaster ride called the evolutionary scale. That should make it a lot EASIER than moving paramecium in a drop of water.
We CAN do better...we're just not ALL trying hard enough.
Some are doing MORE than their fair share, while others can't give a rat's ass.
Time to level THIS playing field, so that EVERYONE gets the fair shake our SOCIETY sorely needs.
Be nice to have that level of TRUST we USED to have...and with a LOT more people, wouldn't it?
That's something to really think (and do something) about.
Stay safe out there, America.