A better tomorrow?

Maxine Schnall’s book, “Limits,” is my favorite book in my collection. A close second is Ferguson’s “The Aquarian Conspiracy — Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980s.” I still refer to them when writing about anything philosophical or related to culture. Seems their concerns about the direction we were going then can easily be transferred to today’s culture. Schnall’s and Ferguson’s hopes for a better tomorrow have not materialized. In those days there apparently was much interest in personal growth and change that would underlie a more humanistic culture. What happened?

We see so many around us wallowing in greed, materialism and obsession with self that it is obvious that there are some important moral concepts that haven’t been taken seriously for decades. As Schnall wrote: “We must break our silence on those moral truths that have not been eroded by time and social change. However unsure we are of how to meld them with the particular circumstances of contemporary life, we must still speak out for the major human values embedded in our collective conscience throughout history: honesty, responsibility and decency.”

Blatant disregard for morality, ethics, principles and constructive values (all of which relate to Schnall’s concerns) is all around us. Examples are dishonesty and lack of conscience in many government leaders, self-indulgent religious hucksters, corporate greed and crime that cause widespread suffering, flagrant disregard for (whether by the individual or institution) for the welfare of other human beings, dulling our senses with addictions — whether to alcohol, drugs, food, mindless materialism, religion, sexual obsession. Too few of us take responsibility for our actions, live with awareness for the benefit of the whole and possess a sense of community.

Setting our limits does not mean reverting back to the old rigid authoritarian model in our search for something better than the “I’ll get mine at any cost,” “I’ll do as I please,” “I’ll close my eyes to the truth” mentality. We must individually discover that closing ourselves off from eternal truths eventually destroys us personally and collectively. We must blend what has always been true from the past — the basic values — with what is best about the newer (self-authorization and individual potential) and thoughtfully determine our own limits so we become strong, confident and ethical.

“The Aquarian Conspiracy is using its widespread outposts of influence to focus on the dangerous myths and mystiques of the old paradigm, to attack absolute ideas and practices. The conspirators urge us to reclaim the power we long ago surrendered to custom and authority, to discover, under the clutter of all our conditioning, the core of integrity that transcends conventions and codes.” — Ferguson.

Education these days is mostly focused on test results and there is little time for many parents to spend with their children. Add the influence of so many electronic distractions, rampant greed, materialism and self-obsession in today’s culture. How are our young people going to learn and absorb the essential qualities that Schnall and Ferguson wrote about and which are essential to the success of any society?

Children must be taught and learn from example that living in a way that promotes health (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) for ourselves and others is the basis of a good life. They must learn when they are breaking the laws of nature and what their (and our) limits must be. They need to be taught that a great deal of human misery stems from refusing to pay attention to what we all have within us — that little inner voice that can develop our inclination toward doing what is best for us, our loved ones, and our society. This foundation of their moral strength must be encouraged to flourish.

It is only by following the guidance of a healthy conscience that we will have the confidence to know not only what we will do, but also what we will not do, according to our own and society’s best interest. Our ethical choices must not be blunted by ignorance, fearful compliance or narcissistic self-obsession. They must be elevated by education, honesty and compassion.

“Although learning to make sacrifices may be unpleasant, trying to be happy without giving something up for others is impossible.” — Eugene Kennedy, “The Looming 80s.”

Since 1984, Dorothy Dimitre has written more than 1,000 columns for various local newspapers. Her email address is gramsd@aceweb.com.