It is a sad day on Earth!
Shirley Roe
April 20, 2005
It is a Sad Day on Earth by Shirley A. Roe
The death of character comes at a time when the call to restore character is especially loud, persistent and universal-not to mention urgent.” The Death of Character by James Hunter.
The Death of Character, by James Hunter declares that moral responsibility and character are dead. Many scholars dismissed this as premature drivel or academic overstatement, however the events of 2004 and early 2005 seem to justify his claims.
Martha Stewart, homemaking icon, is sent to prison. Basketball stars are charging fans in the stands, haloed athletes are full of steroids, corporate giants are charged with stock manipulation and fraud, members of the US military are charged with torturing and belittling prisoners or war, government figures are mistrusted and not without just cause. What has become of humankind?
It is now apparent that our society values performance and recognition over goodness and humanitarianism. Winning is the ultimate, success the brass ring and kindness, empathy and caring have been reduced to afterthoughts. Read any newspaper or magazine, whom do you find in the headlines? Sports figures, Hollywood stars or the cast of Survivor- all qualify as American Icons, these are the people to be sensationalized and praised. What does this say about our values and our respect for and attempt to, achieve good character?
There have been many incidences where these same people shout profanity at fans, are arrested for drug possession, drive under the influence or cause serious bodily injury during domestic violence incidences and not only do we as society turn a blind eye, but our justice system seems to do the same. Please do not misunderstand me. Under no circumstances am I implying that all sports figures or actors fall into this category but there seems to be a growing majority that do and our society cheers such behavior and lack of moral fiber. What message does this send to our children and grandchildren?
More than 100,000 people were killed by a Tsunami on the other side of the world the last week of December. AOL asked for comments from their subscribers. The results were shocking. More than half of the comments read: “Who really cares what happens over there?” “Those people deserve everything they got for not believing in Jesus!” “So what, why is my game interrupted for this crap?” “Not my problem!”
This is unbelievable to me. Our society has become so desensitized to death and destruction that the death of more than thirty times the number of people killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11 has no affect on them.
Consumerism and self-indulgence are front and center of today’s society. To bring moral character back to the forefront would require restrictions, obligations and responsibility. We would demand trustworthy individuals in our governments and seats of authority. We would shun and/or punish those that use illegal or immoral means to gain their success. It seems however, that this would be too much to ask of today’s society. So therefore I say to you, “James Hunter is right, character is dead and we are throwing shovels of dirt on it as fast as we can.” The people that go out of their way to help the underprivileged, show good sportsmanship and reach out to their neighbor are ignored. Our material appetites are insatiable and our vision is obscured by flashy media and over the top marketing. It is a sad day.
The death of character comes at a time when the call to restore character is especially loud, persistent and universal-not to mention urgent.” The Death of Character by James Hunter.
The Death of Character, by James Hunter declares that moral responsibility and character are dead. Many scholars dismissed this as premature drivel or academic overstatement, however the events of 2004 and early 2005 seem to justify his claims.
Martha Stewart, homemaking icon, is sent to prison. Basketball stars are charging fans in the stands, haloed athletes are full of steroids, corporate giants are charged with stock manipulation and fraud, members of the US military are charged with torturing and belittling prisoners or war, government figures are mistrusted and not without just cause. What has become of humankind?
It is now apparent that our society values performance and recognition over goodness and humanitarianism. Winning is the ultimate, success the brass ring and kindness, empathy and caring have been reduced to afterthoughts. Read any newspaper or magazine, whom do you find in the headlines? Sports figures, Hollywood stars or the cast of Survivor- all qualify as American Icons, these are the people to be sensationalized and praised. What does this say about our values and our respect for and attempt to, achieve good character?
There have been many incidences where these same people shout profanity at fans, are arrested for drug possession, drive under the influence or cause serious bodily injury during domestic violence incidences and not only do we as society turn a blind eye, but our justice system seems to do the same. Please do not misunderstand me. Under no circumstances am I implying that all sports figures or actors fall into this category but there seems to be a growing majority that do and our society cheers such behavior and lack of moral fiber. What message does this send to our children and grandchildren?
More than 100,000 people were killed by a Tsunami on the other side of the world the last week of December. AOL asked for comments from their subscribers. The results were shocking. More than half of the comments read: “Who really cares what happens over there?” “Those people deserve everything they got for not believing in Jesus!” “So what, why is my game interrupted for this crap?” “Not my problem!”
This is unbelievable to me. Our society has become so desensitized to death and destruction that the death of more than thirty times the number of people killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11 has no affect on them.
Consumerism and self-indulgence are front and center of today’s society. To bring moral character back to the forefront would require restrictions, obligations and responsibility. We would demand trustworthy individuals in our governments and seats of authority. We would shun and/or punish those that use illegal or immoral means to gain their success. It seems however, that this would be too much to ask of today’s society. So therefore I say to you, “James Hunter is right, character is dead and we are throwing shovels of dirt on it as fast as we can.” The people that go out of their way to help the underprivileged, show good sportsmanship and reach out to their neighbor are ignored. Our material appetites are insatiable and our vision is obscured by flashy media and over the top marketing. It is a sad day.
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