VICES OF THE PAST ARE TODAY'S VIRTUES

VICES OF THE PAST ARE TODAY’S VIRTUES

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. Traditional Realist

The shift in our culture from traditional to progressive has become profound in a relatively short span of time. The vices of the past have been dressed up with convoluted rationalizations to make them appeal to selfish interests rather than those of family and community. This originated in the “me generation” movement where the individual’s interests gained supremacy over all others.

We all belong to a social unit called the family. When we neglect our parental responsibilities of consistently and forcefully teaching moral values to our children, we are weakening our family, community and nation. We are creating parasites. The moral fiber of the nation withers when the family is no longer viable.

Expecting freedom without responsibility is creating selfish and reckless individuals. The vocal child who argues to use a machine before he has learned to follow directions is bound to hurt himself or break the machine. Too many young adults have great wants with no self-discipline.  They are not being taught this by permissive parents, which has led to our inability to wait in our instant gratification world.

When youngsters are given money in their pocket without earning it they will often spend it to their own detriment.  To feel good and be cool they often take the drug or computer game route. Once they have entered the world of drugs or addiction to video games their performance in school falls and the probability of dropping out increases. These modern casualties who imitate celebrities such as gangsta rappers, self important sport stars, singers or actors have greased the shift in values from being productive members of society to self-involved slackers.

Being “parents in charge” of the family is currently seen as barbaric according to progressive child rearing experts.  The modern child should be on an equal footing with parental power. Most modern parents have gladly accepted this philosophy as it has freed them from past responsibilities and duties of parenthood.  Today’s children are raising themselves with assistance from misguided, out-of-control peers who are the role models for most naïve youngsters.  When parents do not prepare their offspring to face the reality of temptation unsurprisingly these youngsters become negatively addicted.

Children are hearing and witnessing that a man is not necessary to participate as a father in raising a child. A man is only a “sperm donor” although is on the hook financially. In other words men are no longer responsible for raising the child. The feminist movement has given women the right to decide if they do not want the child they are carrying. They say unwanted children should be allowed to be killed to resolve any inconvenience to their personal life. Women can be free to be indiscriminate sexual playmates with no responsibility to their live fetus, partner or family’s reputation.  These objectified undisciplined, self-centered and promiscuous females have become feminist heroines and the loving mothers become sad, boring losers in the progressive perspective.

More importantly, it does not seem to matter in our current culture the number of harmful acts to self and others an arrogant person has done in his life. These ‘self-celebrities” are fascinating to their peers for their moody, unpredictable life style. They are a protected class that is not supposed to be ostracized. As the family and community cohesiveness fades unknown and unconnected people’s actions, good and bad have less significance.  Stating you are going to do something at a certain day and time and not doing it has become a common practice with no stigma.

Instead of humility and keeping one’s word being virtues, they are now seen as ridiculous acts. A self-promoter paints a vivid picture of what he wants to portray to others rather than what he actually has accomplished. Sophisticated marketing distortions or lies pay great dividends while allowing others to note your own accomplishments rarely happens in this anonymous world.  Creative lying has become a virtue while much of the truth has become a boring humdrum narrative.

The switch back to historical virtues can only happen by exposing the real negative consequences of living a self-centered, immoral life. More parents need to emphasize to their children and everyone else they can live the positives of traditional virtues without the side effects of losing their conscience and soul. On the other hand, as often as possible elders should emphasize that cheating and taking advantage of others results is a pathetic life style.

God-fearing people realize an inerasable history of destruction of other people’s lives is not worth gaining wealth and fame. Mentally dysfunctional con artists and deviants bring on their own tragic lifestyles. These negative incidents are the inevitable outcome of evil choices, while the blessings of living a virtuous life are no accident.

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.