DOING THE RIGHT THING INOCULATES A PERSON AGAINST EVIL

DOING THE RIGHT THING INOCULATES A PERSON AGAINST EVIL

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

In today’s world temptations are more accessible to our youth in our “anything-goes” culture. The lifestyles for most adults are harried and hectic with their careers and social activities. Besides ever increasing material wants, there are many social options to occupy oneself. Work hard and play hard leaves little time for parents to intimately and directly interact with children to teach right from wrong. Instead children are left unsupervised to explore the world through the babysitter: TV, and now the monster electronic devices.

There is plenty of idle time that modern children need to fill. Children are often isolated from each other because modern parents have decided to live in transient suburban communities where people are anonymous and isolated from each other. Everyone does his own thing. Understandably parents have little faith in the safety of their children and the children have too few peers for the children to play outdoors. Extra curricular activities such as karate, team sports, gymnastics, dance and music lessons provide some limited socialization skills with other children under adult supervision. This partially fills in the void for children to play in a relatively protected environment. It likewise gives the parent a reprieve from being the child’s playmate for a short time.

Most of their extra time is being spent on social media and unfettered access to the Internet. Although parents attempt to monitor their children’s access to their cell phones too many children know how to get around their parental controls. Children as young as 6 or 7 have access to illicit sites from which they should be protected.

The opportunity and energy that parents have to teach and demonstrate moral values is minimal. This conscience development vacuum is very dangerous to the youth’s future. The children’s leisure time and increased exposure to evil temptations leaves children more vulnerable to it. Most have no clear idea what is right or wrong nor do they understand the long-term consequences of going down the wrong path.

Being inoculated with traditional Biblical moral values gives a shield for children unknowingly walking down a path of evil. Without this knowledge of right and wrong a young person does not have an early warning system to signal potential future danger. Doing the good deeds decreases the exposure and appeal of possible problematic temptations. Too few youngsters are given these guided lessons.

When an individual knows good from bad and follows moral behavior the effect is one of strength that deflects a predator from continuing his pursuit. Instead they turn to easier prey that appears confused and weak to attempt to control them for their personal pleasure and satisfaction. These targets are becoming more plentiful.

Going down the straight and narrow moral path, guides and attracts a person to others with a similar state of mind and spirit and naturally repels them from negative and self-destructive behavior. The inherent weakness of a spiritual-less existence opens this type of person to an instant gratification lifestyle that has temporary emotional highs and long drawn out lows. This makes one susceptible to shyster’s smooth talking promises. These frauds use lies to hook a person to a life of unfulfilled dependency on negatively addictive things and other similarly destructive people.

More than ever in a world of numerous and incredible choices at one’s fingertips in our anonymous computer existence, people have to realize beforehand the real potential consequences of their behaviors. It is much easier to continue down a destructive path without immediate detection.  Parents in our modern world have to inoculate their children with powerful moral lessons to clearly teach right from wrong, good from bad. Today’s culture has a multitude of negative subgroups readily available to join.

These peer groups have a powerful influence on an individual especially during the adolescent or young adult stage of life. Parent’s control and influence wanes as young people find their own social groups. In order to belong to any group you have to please other members by accepting their speech, thinking and behavior.

When the things the group does are contrary to one’s moral values they can change those values to fit in or reject the group. A person with a weak belief system is more prone to be sucked into a deviant lifestyle. Those who have internalized a traditional one are going to have many moral conflicts that will create wedges retarding the process of becoming a member or even prevent it.

The clear and precise definition of good and bad behavior will create a strong inner conscience that will protect them from going down a path of dissolution. Rather it will protect them from the forces of evil. The thorough knowledge of moral values and reality consequences are a wonderful insurance policy to keep an individual on the straight and narrow.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN and a new just published book, entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.