Hi Tom. I have been thinking about the United States and values in relation to lives also.
I wonder if the mass shootings we have been experiencing in this country might be likened to the canary in the cola mine of the past-a sign of an environment which is not life affirming.
This is a country in which is has become customary to kill our young in the name of improving our own life prospects. It is a country in which we are passing laws in which some lives may be ascertained to have few redeeming qualities, and thus, with a prescription, that life may be taken.
The value of persons is often presented as a function of earnings capacity. Businesses treat employees as disposable, and, so often, we see people treat each other in a similar manner.
The young men who commit these acts of violence seem to have bought in to the Nihilist paradigm. They seem to have no hope, no sense of the possible and they treat others as disposable objects.
I agree that reconsidering the values which seem to be gaining ascendancy in this culture is important.
I think that, in a most unfortunate way, the young men who are committing these terrible acts, are indeed reflecting societal values, values which privilege profit and earning capacity over people.
May God bless us all and may we be guided to realign our values in accordance with His most holy will.
Amen.
Your post is absolutely correct and I have brought this up to people who don’t immediately understand the connection . Mother Theresa once said:" any country that accepts killing children in the womb will some day have violence in it’s streets" Bingo!!
As you said, we have kicked God out of society. We have kicked prayer out of society.
We have kicked the Ten commandments out of society.
I have often also thought that the inner cities are also the canary in the coal mine as regards the lack of a father in the home, as the majority of babies born out of wedlock.
Now although I am a social conservative, I can understand common sense gun regulation and there are some types of firearms that in my opinion probably shouldn’t be made available to the general public.
And yes we need to do something about better mental health care.
But anyone my age knows that prior to about 20 years ago someone going in and shooting up a school was very rare to non-existent and now it seems we are hearing about this every other week.
And people had hunting rifles and handguns back then. But there was a restraint in place then that seems to be gone now.
You see, prior to 30 or 40 years ago, this country had a common shared Judeo Christian value base that was observed even by non believers.
A public morals, so to speak… Right and wrong were clearly taught and observed.
Then came in situational ethics and the belief that it was bigoted to teach that some things are wrong…and well this is what you get.
