Concerned about moral decline in the US? You are not alone!
According to a poll conducted in May of 2017, 81% of Americans are concerned about the decline of morality in the US.
Understanding the cause of a problem definitely helps us to find solutions. This writer believes the cause of our moral decline is rooted in history.
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Society changes to a “me first” attitude.
Prior to the 1960’s, when a company hired you, you usually retired from that company. But in the 1960’s, advances in technology altered job security forever.
One example of this is my husband’s father’s career. Born in 1908, Earl became an engineer and worked for Honeywell. He planned to retire from Honeywell. However, three years before his planned retirement, Honeywell tried to change his plans. The technology had changed and Honeywell was changing to keep up with the times. However, years before Earl had made a good friend and ally, George, a high ranking Honeywell corporate officer. After Earl explained the situation to George, George created a department that wrote repair manuals for the old technology and put Earl in charge of it. Earl’s ability to adapt his situation was uncommon then as it is today.
Up until commercial adoption of new technology occurred in the 1960’s, people counted on having a job for life. But as technology began changing rapidly, so did the knowledge an employee needed to do his job. As a result, jobs were no longer secure and lack of job security forced Americans to begin to put their own success first.
Then in 1968, the women’s movement began and this movement caused women to think more about their careers than their families and the divorce rate doubled in the next 15 years.
Naturally, children follow their parents as role models. So as they saw their parents putting themselves first, they began to do the same thing. In addition, children also experienced less family bonding.
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The natural results of the “me first” attitude.
Problem solving requires the ability to work with others, and the “me first” attitude decreased people’s ability to do this. So the “me first” attitude caused a decline in problem solving skills and many changes followed this decline.
People without adequate problem-solving skills usually seek faster answers instead of wading through options and taking time to find solutions. Thus, they are more likely to seek instant gratification.
Those who seek instant gratification are more likely to use drugs and commit crimes. As more drug use and crimes occurred, Americans became concerned about the decline in US morality.
According to Kathryn Seifert, Ph.D., this explanation for the decline in US morality is accurate. She wrote that the lack of family bonding increases the likelihood that a person will become violent.
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You may not agree with me, but I believe the decline in US morality is rooted in history. And we cannot change history, but understanding it can enable us find ways to overcome its effects.
Understanding why morality has declined can help you find ways to improve it.
Let the encouraging words in these bobbiejrae posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
Working together can help Americans overcome the “me first” attitude.
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View Comments (1)
B J, I just finished reading a book by Kyle Idleman named: 'The End of Me'! In this book, the author addresses much of what you have written here. He does so by focusing on the Bible's teaching that until we make Jesus first in our lives, we are still in charge and by doing so seek to do the things that satisfy us first. The failure of the society which we live in today can be traced back to changes which you have identified here and by the fact we now live in a 'ME FIRST' time which takes us down the path which is most unhealthy! Thanks for sharing this much needed message.