by Kathy Janik

Created on: June 13, 2010   Last Updated: June 16, 2010

Undoubtedly yes, America is losing its moral values.   The proof is by watching the ever increasing numbers of laws that are being created to force people to tow the line.  If people were living morally, we would not need any more laws at all.  Laws are ignorant people’s solutions to a morality problem.  The solution is not to pass more laws.  The solution is to remind each other why we need to live with a high set of moral standards.  We must remind each other or else we forget.  

One of the great barriers to accomplishing this is religion itself.  People automatically connect religion with morality.  You don’t have to do this though.  Morality makes sense to atheists also.  Most people, even atheists, have a deep down belief in a higher power.   They won’t admit it, but even they are wise enough to realize that there is something greater than humanity pulling the strings.  You must try to leave religion out of the argument when conversing with these people.  As soon as you mention anything religious to an atheist, he or she will immediately tune you out.   You have to find another way to connect with them and get them to realize that morality is the path to a better world for all of us.

In our modern society people refuse to accept responsibility for anything bad that happens to them.  It is very easy to look for blame in someone else.  When an accident happens or a bad decision is made somewhere, people immediately look for someone to blame.  Somebody has to be made to pay for their negligence.  We keep blaming each other for problems that we create ourselves.  We are creating the very country we live in by not reminding each other of why we need to live with mutual respect.

You will make mistakes and so will I.  Nobody is perfect.  You will screw something up so bad that it costs someone else a great deal.  I guarantee this has already happened to you at least once in your life.  There are probably a number of times in your life where you have made completely stupid momentary decisions that someone else ultimately suffered for.  The answer is not to punish everyone for every mistake they ever make.  That is utterly ridiculous.   The answer is to turn the other cheek.  You have to accept that people make mistakes.  The vast majority of mistakes that are made are not done with malicious intent.  Those that are should be punished.  Those that are not done maliciously should be given another chance.  Let people learn from their mistakes without throwing the book at them.

We are all in this together.  If we continue down this road where everyone must be punished for every single thing they ever do wrong, we will most certainly end up in a very undesirable situation.  People will all look for ways to get away with everything they do wrong rather than confessing and doing whatever they can to rectify the situation.    Morality is the solution to your problems.  You need to forgive people who make honest mistakes, even huge mistakes, so long as their intent was not malicious.  I need to do the same.  This is ultimately the solution that mankind will have to realize before it destroys itself.

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