Where Have All The Morals Gone

Long Time Passing

Growing up in the fifties and sixties we had these quaint things called morals. Now they are often seen as passe or corny, and blocking personal freedom, but they did tend to keep life on a more even keel. Nowadays we may be reviled as hypocrites by those saying that that's just an illusion and morality was as bad back then, but it was different.

Much of the difference stemmed from a more homogeneous and religious culture, and even the atheists believed that they might want to watch their step or there could be consequences, either here or beyond the grave, if they didn't watch their step. (If you reach my age and you are still an atheist you just haven't been paying attention.)

Even the powerful had soaked up something of the need to not act reprehensibly, but that looks to be in decline along with everything else.

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." ~ John Adams

John Adams hit the nail with his head. We can talk all we want about the Constitution or the lack thereof, what laws we should or should not have, and can even have our own radio talk show or blog, but it won't help if the underlying foundation is broken.

The solution is now touted to be more government, rules, and government agents - please give up your liberty for more security. John Adams might say, well, what did you expect? Without a moral base you of course need more laws and cops to keep things under control.

"There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt." ~ Niccolo Machiavelli

You might argue that deep inside people were no more and no less inherently evil than they are now, and I would agree, but there is now something different. One might suspect the influence of sociological warfare, as explained by Soviet defector and former KGB agent Yuri Bezmenov in the 1984 video at the link below:

He made the point that the intended effect of the psychological operations was to deny their enemies, that would be us, the ability to make rational decisions about their own self defense, as well as other areas of life. Skeptics back then might have said, “Oh come on, it's not like we will end up with trangenders in the military.” But then there were not a noticeable numbers of transgenders back then. Now one is castigated for suggesting that various and sundry alternative lifestyles may ruin a young person's life, and indeed parents in some places may be charged for not supporting the destruction of the lives of their children. Some claim that it is only a “Christian myth” that morals are decaying, so I suppose it depends on your view on alternative life styles.

The opposing view is found in an article Psychology Today, which posits that moral decay is an illusion caused by being swamped with news and images by modern technology, and further that people at all times maintain that they are in a state of moral decay. (It's almost a cliché that the younger generation is seen as hopeless.)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dating-and-mating/202306/is-global-society-in-rapid-moral-decline

I think that there are people who are inherently good and moral deep in their souls, and there are people who are inherently evil deep in their souls. Between the two extremes is a vast continuum, with many able to move either way. Many of those will just act in the manner of those around them, so if the culture becomes coarser they will act accordingly. Hence the admonition of John Adams.

People may move in one direction or the other based on what they do and the decisions they make day to day.

A ship crossing an ocean is something of a metaphor for life. If it's going from, say, London, England to New York in the U.S.A. it must follow a particular heading, but if the heading is changed a few degrees it will be found far from New York. What does this have to do with life? Small changes that we make in our lives may have large effects after a number of years. Not exactly an original thought, but something to think about. You can intentionally change yourself over time by changing what you think about and deciding to act one way rather than another. Over time the slow progression will have an effect.

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https://drp314.substack.com/p/the-rudder-of-destiny

The lack of morals has infected the leaders of the land, and we are facing a powerful leadership class which has abandoned it's duty to the people of the country. How bad it is or is not can be debated, but I'm siding against those who want to cut off children's genitals.

Stay Brave, Stay Free