If there was any doubt in my mind that our society is in a state of steep moral decline, those doubts were erased when I found out about this odious little company.
Now look, I’m not a Pollyanna. People have been cheating on their spouses since the days of Neanderthal man. What bothers me here is that now, in the 21st century, the very term “immoral behavior” has become quaint and irrelevant. Now, it’s Big Business. Now, it’s all good. Forget about this little thing called morality, forget about your wedding vows, forget about your spouse’s or your children’s feelings. There is no more shame in our society, no real notion of right and wrong. If it feels good to me, then it must be okay.
The very idea that sometimes you just have to say “no” to yourself because what you’re about to do is wrong seems to have become as outdated the top hat and corset.
Once you buy into the mentality espoused by these people, then really, anything is possible. Life is short, right? So, for example:
Life is short…..embezzle from your employer!
Life is short…..plagiarize!
Life is short…..steal from your kids’ college fund!
Life is short…..steal gas from your neighbors’ cars!
Life is short…..cheat on your math test!
Life is short……tell her you love her if it gets you laid!
Life is short…..lie through your teeth if it gets you what you want!
Life is short…..desert the military!
Life is short…..stiff the waitress!
Life is short…..lie on that job application!
Life is short…..don’t pay that child support!
Life is short…..use your child support to buy cocaine!
Life is short…..don’t waste time spending it with your children
Life is short…..well, I think you’re getting the idea.
Life is short. That is the justification for doing whatever the hell you want, to whomever you want. Nothing else matters, nothing else is important or even relevant except your own personal gratification.
I seem to remember when I was a child I was taught something known as The Ten Commandments. “Oh, there you go, Smith, bringing religion into it again!” I hear you say. No, not really. Allowing for the religious bent of the Bible that obviously colors the first four, aren’t the other six really just a social compact? Let’s see, what do they really say?
Respect your parents.
Don’t kill people.
Don’t cheat on your spouse.
Don’t take things that don’t belong to you.
Don’t accuse anyone of something they didn’t do.
Don’t covet someone else’s spouse or property.
Gee, I dunno. These kinda work for me. It seems to me that they’re pretty hard to argue with, irrespective of your religious beliefs or lack thereof. You don’t need to believe in God to accept the fact that some actions are just plain wrong and immoral.
I once had a boss who told me he valued integrity even more than honesty. A callow youth in those days, I asked him what the difference was. He said to me, “Integrity means doing the right thing when no one is watching you.” And yet we live in a society in which concepts like respect and honor are seemingly less and less relevant.
To what extent does our society still value things like honesty and integrity? I’m really starting to wonder.
-Smith
I could have wrote this, but I don’t think I could have wrote it better.
I agree with you most of the time on most of the stuff you have to say, but this time I am with you 100%. I’m not perfect, this I know. I recognize my faults, and I try to better myself. For me, the people around me, the people of today as well as the people of tomorrow. I’m not the perfect example (far from it), but I like to think of myself as a good example. 
We gotta start somewhere.
A long overdue post. Well written, good sir. You have my respect for writing it and for the prose itself. Excellent.
Now to get this out so the entire world can see it…
Honesty and Integrity can actually be a detriment in todays society.
You certainly don’t shy away from topics that can take days to discuss
.
I agree with above statements, nicely done Sir Smith.
I have far too many comments, experiences and questions to be summarised into a comment.
The following I will say though:
To back up Evyl’s comment there are moments where I am still not sure whether ‘the good old values’ are nothing more than a form of an antiquitated social nanny government instigated by the Churches and other institutions of power with the goal of keeping the general population under control (less privileged) because I am sure we all agree that this ‘life is all about me and to my benefit’ is not a new occurance.
But those moments are mostly when I start comparing my life with that of others and it seems that I am at times stupid not take advantage. In the end, yes life may be short, and as long as people really believe that are getting more fulfillment by cheating on others, whether that may be romantically, financially, professionally, oekologically, medically you name it, than nothing is going to change those people continuing their way and I am not sure that from one human to another we have the right to decide which forms of fullfillment are acceptable and which ones not (that’s what the law and government is for which opens up a whole new can of worms as we all know).
I for myself, have never felt ‘good’ doing any of that, and have learnt that short term satisfaction doesn’t result in long term happiness. I would assume it’s the same for anybody else, but really, I am one person and what do I know?
If you have honesty, integrity, morals and ethics in todays society, many look upon you as a dinosaur.
I’m not saying it’s true, but more that’s how it’s seen. Sad isn’t it?
For mine, I’d rather be damned for doing the right thing as opposed to the wrong thing.
Nice piece MOR.
As you’ve said many times, there are more issues which we have in common than there are those in which we differ.
Hey,
it’s been brutaly busy personally and professionally.
So I’m just calling in to say ‘hi’, I hope ‘no news is good news’ and I’ll catch up soon.
Hugs,
S.
I agree with you, whole-heartedly, see you after the holidays. kim