Is morality going out of style in today's society?

Yes

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by Aleggs Sander

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Morality is alive and well in the United States. The very fact of debates on what is right and wrong and acceptable shows the vibrancy of our moral sensibilities. The presence of courts in our land, or laws, or procedures to protect, and promote and access that which is in the best interest of citizens speaks of the presence and continued vitality of our moral center.

The morality that is now practiced in the US is more liberal in some instances. There was a time when people would speak of honor and integrity as it pertains to marriage, to offspring, and to family life (it is usually in this context that the question of morality rises). There has always been, however, children born out of wedlock, and young men "sowing wild oats," and sexual favors being purchased and performed in the dark. None of these things are new. Indeed, it is debatable if they are any more prominent now than many hundreds of years ago. The Bible describes the trickery of Tamar in getting a child by pretending to be a prostitute, and indeed, the tribe from which Jesus came has three very scandalous tales of sex and incest. Immorality is not new, and morality is still functioning.

What then makes it seem like we are living in such an immoral society? Mere growth and exposure. As children, we rarely heard tales of sex, and debauchery and chicanery and dishonesty. As we grew up we became slowly exposed to those realities. We started reading the news and read of crack downs on prostitutes and their clients; we read of various actions by prominent leaders to bribe, or to benefit from bribery; we even read of regular people getting involved in various activities that were of a shady nature. But none of these are new. What is amazing is that there is any morality at all in the face of our love for immorality.

In order for society to continue there has to be a set of laws that will protect the race, and allow it to propagate, flourish and thrive. This is the moral side, and there are far more people who practice this morality than there are those who break it. After a young man has had his round of childish behavior he gets married and starts a family. Studies have shown that most smokers eventually give it up after age 50. There is something in the human species, as seen in the United States, which eventually gets them to think in a way that will benefit the wider society.

The problem that we do face is that there still seems to be the blind eye top the deleterious effects of that early behavior on society. Instead of arresting prostitutes, society needs to find a way to get them gainfully employed. Instead of blaming the victim (as in a rape) find ways to heal the victim, as well as the perpetrator. The true immorality is society's unwillingness to address the problem, and only place band aids on the symptoms.

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