With a long life comes a long term perspective on the society we live in. Mom was fond of saying “this isn’t my world any more”. Now that we have watched society change for decades we understand that view. While we are proud of the imagination and creativity of the American culture we are concerned about the back room attitudes that accompany progress. Examples: (1) until a few years ago, every homeowner was proud of his/her home and maintained it to the best of their ability. Now every new development seems to require a Homeowners Association because it is feared that someone might move into the neighborhood and allow their property to falter in such a way as to diminish the value of everyone else’s property. (2) trash talk…some people actually think that taunting an opponent is a fun thing. Belittling your adversary is a poor reflection on the character of the trash talker. It says “I don’t respect your ability and I want the world to see that I am superior”. Unfortunately, this habit is taught from young ages as the right way to act. Any time the dignity of another is demeaned both parties to the conversation lose. That attitude carried into adulthood can have devastating results. (3) quality of work…in the past, people were trained to do their jobs by competent teachers whether they were plumber apprentices, teachers, managers, electricians, or whatever their work was. Today, many so-called experienced workers are less than capable and their training efforts less than complete. It is common that first visit results by craftsmen to your home will not solve the problem. (4) Honor boxes…Years ago newspapers put the daily editions in street corner racks and asked patrons to deposit a nickel when they took a paper. Then people began to just take a paper without paying. So the racks became enclosed metal/plastic boxes that required the deposit of a coin to open them. So people began depositing a coin and then taking several papers–not just one. So today, we have no honor boxes. Is the price of integrity just $.25? Younger readers of this post will probably disagree with these observations; but wait until later life to finalize your “take” on society. These seemingly small issues are woven into the fabric of our lives and color our actions daily. As we separate ourselves from respecting the rights of others in any situation we jeopardize our own rights.
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