I have been a psychotherapist with a daily radio talk program administering to parents, families, and individuals for almost half a century.
I have seen the trends . . . They are not good.
Daycare instead of mothering, shacking up instead of commitments, children in singlemother homes instead of safe families, children navigating parents in separate homes and new family connections, children and young adults committing suicide at unbelievable rates, drug use and deaths escalating (thanks to China killing us softly with fentanyl), and skyrocketing depression and anxiety.
Why?
The answer is actually simple.
We as a people are no longer e pluribus unum. Why does that make a difference?
When we share common ideals and rules, there is the hope and promise of developing a personal purpose in life.When, for a simplistic example, wedding dresses and virginity are saved for marriage, we elevate both sex and commitment to an esteemed position.
When men were raised to provide and protect and women to nurture family and raise their babies — making a house a home — there was stability and connectedness.
When people had positions of esteem and power, they lived with a higher moral standard, providing role models and respect. Ordinary people were influenced to do the same.
When I was 16, I wore dresses or skirts to school and showed respect to the teachers who took seriously their responsibility to get us ready for our life's work with reading, writing, history, art, mathematics — without ideological forays in — without ideological forays in gender identity and race hating.
Young people now see the world through social media, a source not responsible for truth, No wonder they are lost,
I knew that drug abuse was for lowlifes, as my dad actually said, which was the reason I didn't partake — because I didn't want to disappoint my parents and I knew the path to my future: further education and responsible behavior.
These things are largely nonexistent today.
Young people now see the world through social media, a source not responsible for truth. No wonder they are lost.
David Brooks authored an article in The Atlantic, "How America Got Mean." He writes of a culture devoid of moral education, where generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.
"According to research by Ryan Streeter, the director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, lonely young people are seven times more likely to say they are active in politics than young people who aren't lonely.
"For people who feel disrespected, unseen, and alone, politics is a seductive form of social therapy. It offers them a comprehensible moral landscape: The line between good and evil runs not down the middle of every human heart, but between groups.
"For many years, America seemed to be awash in a culture of hyper-individualism. But these days, people are quick to identify themselves by their groups: Republican, Democrat, evangelical, person of color, LGBTQ, Southerner, patriot, progressive, considerate.
"People who feel isolated and under threat flee to tailing identities. The stronger a group's claim to victim status, the more virtuous it is assumed to be, and the more secure its members can feel about their own innocence."
The decline of families, coherent educational experiences, religious education and support for morals, values, principles, public leaders of character, and Mr. Rogers' influence has led us to a Balkanized society with anger and hate and a personal sense of justification for hating.
Dr. Laura (Laura Schlessinger) is a well-known radio personality and best-selling author. She appears regularly on many television shows and in many publications. Listen to Dr. Laura on SiriusXM Channel 111, Mon.–Sat. 2–6pm ET, Sun. 5–9pm ET. Read Dr. Laura's Reports — More Here.
Newsmax January, 2024
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