I have a friend who is currently suffering the consequences of poor judgement. He allowed himself to create a very bad situation with a co-worker, and then he compounded the problem by making an unwanted and inappropriate comment. His lapse of sense, nearly cost him his job. Despite his long record of behaving in a credible and trustworthy way, he has lost the trust of the leadership at his firm, and now must begin the painful process of rebuilding his reputation.
He is not alone. There are many who find themselves in a similar situation. Sadly, our standards a such that many of his friends are saying, "you didn't do anything wrong" and "what you said really wasn't that bad". Thankfully he is not listening and he is moving to higher ground and accepting responsibility for his individual actions. I am glad to be his friend and happy to be a part of his rehabilitation.
Moral Discipline
All of his pain could have been avoided, if he just would have checked himself. We all value the freedom of expression, but we must never fail to exercise moral discipline.
I am fully aware, that the concept of moral discipline – self-discipline based on moral standards – is considered by many to be an archaic practice.
We live in a society that continuously embraces the thought that truth is relevant and that everyone must decide for himself or herself what is right. This prevalent posture condemns concepts such as sin and wrong as "value judgements". Consequently, self-discipline continues to erode and our society is increasingly being left to maintain order and civility by compulsion. The lack of internal control is fostering more and more opportunities for the government to gain control over us, and they are not afraid to take it.
Legal Means
In the past, we relied on moral discipline to keep us safe from inappropriate and hurtful people and situations. Now, we are increasingly relying on a tangled set of laws to regulate behavior. Our legal system should be the last, not the first line of defense for maintaining a civilized society. The fact that we have more laws than ever, is actually a measure of how uncivilized we are becoming. Sadly the laws are failing to live up to their purpose. Does anybody really think that these new laws can replace self-discipline as a compelling means for doing what's right?
Consider the extended and devastating worldwide economic recession. There were many sparks that contributed to this out of control flame, but the most prevalent cause was the widespread dishonest and unethical conduct in the housing and financial markets. We attempted to bail those industries out by giving them money, and we establishing stronger regulations. Is that working out the way anybody hoped it would?
Our freedoms are being diminished on a daily basis and our answer continues to be to create more regulations. That is not going to work, because as soon as we create the new regulations, new industries are born to find the loop holes and work arounds. Simply put, we cannot enforce the laws we have now. What makes us think more laws will help us overcome this blithe.
What's The Answer?
I do not believe in complaining for the sake of complaining, nor do I believe it is fair to post a rant without proposing at least one suggestion for a resolution. So here you go.
We need to recalibrate our internal compasses. We must turn our focus toward the rediscovery of self-discipline and the reestablishment of higher standards. We cannot allow ourselves to continue to believe that there is no such thing as sin.
Sin is real. I say that from a moral point of view and not a religious point of view. Editorial writers at the Wall Street Journal once observed:
“Sin isn’t something that many people, including most churches, have spent much time talking about or worrying about through the years of the [sexual] revolution. But we will say this for sin: it at least offered a frame of reference for personal behavior. When the frame was dismantled, guilt wasn’t the only thing that fell away; we also lost the guidewire of personal responsibility.
“The United States has a drug problem and a high-school-sex problem and a welfare problem and an AIDS problem and a rape problem. None of this will go away until more people in positions of responsibility are willing to come forward and explain, in frankly moral terms, that some of the things that people do nowadays are wrong” (“The Joy of What?” Wall Street Journal, Dec. 12, 1991, A14).
Standing Up
This is what I stand for. I am willing to stick my neck out and say that we must begin to seek a more virtuous way of living. We need to deny ourselves those activities that provide us with momentary feelings of pleasure so that we may model the way and enjoy the lasting feelings of peace and joy. We must reject the trash that is being pressed upon as entertainment. We must refuse to believe that "if if feels good we should do it" and realize that true happiness can only be found through principle centered living.
I promise to raise the bar on my own individual behavior. I promise to speak appropriately at all times. I promise to be honest in my dealings with others. I promise to monitor the content that I personally see and that I allow into my home. I promise to do this without judging others. I promise to continue to believe that the world can be a better place. I hope you will join me.
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