Toxic Public Discourse

For quite some time now there has been an ever-increasing toxicity spewing from various facets of society. Never is it more obvious than when we hold our national elections in this country. You have factions from both sides that shout out vile rhetoric about their opponents. The tone is so sharp, so negative, and so vile that it is a wonder that more people haven’t been fatally wounded because of it.

Why the rise in the toxic level? Could we be witnessing a very blatant wake up call to tone down or otherwise disarm this loaded weapon? When you spew out energy it finds a place to land and produces more of its kind. This is a very basic law within the universe that is very precise. The problem we have is that we can’t always see energy, as it is transferred. At times you can sense it or even feel it, but rarely do you see it.

Without assessing blame on a single source it’s time for all to take note of the lines we are drawing. We must also be mindful of crossing into an area of darkness that is extremely dangerous to everyone. People from all sides, and nearly all walks of life are being affected by this trend.

You have the Democrats against the Republicans. You have the religious right against the left, or Christians against Muslims against the Jews. You have the whites against the blacks. You have the Lakers against the Celtics or the Yankees against the Dodgers. People are not taking these differences casually, but with very sharp stances. The Cleveland fans constantly boo LeBron James for leaving the team. With a tiny spark and a huge conflagration of violence could occur.

What caused the 911 tragedies? What caused the Oklahoma City Bombing? What caused the countless school shootings of innocent children? What causes political assassinations? What is it that causes countries to wage wars against each other?

One would think that spoken words are relatively innocent but that has proven to be a false assumption when it comes to the public discourse. Very negative rhetoric has been known to start riots and even wars. This has always been the case, but still you have public figures using tones that border on irresponsibility. They say things very damning without remorse or compassion for where that flaming dart will land.

Our politicians claim that they speak for the American people when in truth they only speak for a particular segment of the public. To use language that castigates the other side is down right irresponsible. To vilify an opponent with negative ads and information with no regard for the truth is irresponsible. It is taking a loaded gun and putting it in the hands of a person that is willing and eager to use it.

There are always extremist on both sides of the equation. You have the far left and the far right but you also have the sick and criminally insane that tether out on a limb and attach themselves to a particular ideology. Do we not remember Adolph Hitler? He was a perfect example of this phenomenon. How quickly have we forgotten the many lessons of our recent past!

When people take very sharp stands on a particular ideology or philosophy to the point that it vilifies the opponent you are placing a loaded gun in the hands of those that will use it. To incite people against each other just to prove your point or the other to be wrong is the same as starting a war when you have no idea where it will end.

Does this mean that people shouldn’t strongly disagree? No! It means that people need to be aware of the fact that all energies find a place to land. When you throw out statements intended to dig or vilify another that energy eventually finds a place to cause harm. It is as though they create the bullet that is looking for a gun that eventually finds a person that is seeking both and one that is capable of using it to carry out the original wish.

Quite frankly the very politicians that claim to represent the people are culpable for far too many of the toxins that lead to violence. As they fight for their own specific causes with blatant disregard for the opponent they create the bullet that finds a gun that will be used by a psychopath who is only too willing and eager to use it.

If you trace back the origination of the energy of a tragic public event it probably started in a secret back-door political establishment that had an agenda of merely winning, but doing so at whatever the cost. This is one of the main reasons why the public no longer trusts the political establishment. They are in the game to win and not necessarily in it for the people. As long as their side wins they care nothing about the fate of the other side or even for those who may be innocently trapped in the middle.

In a sense we are all to blame in part for this escalating problem. Our desire to be right or to carry the will of the day is what drives animosity. People can and do differ sharply, but it’s the manner in which they show their disagreement that causes the rift.

We should be able to strongly disagree about nearly anything but do so in a way that is respectful of the opinion or beliefs of others. However, when we use energies, spoken words, acts or deeds, we must be mindful that they eventually find a place to land. It is like shooting a gun up in the air at a New Year’s celebration. Those bullets eventually find their way back to the earth where innocent people are living.

We need to start intentionally taking the sting out of our rhetoric a bit. We need to stop vilifying each other. It is okay to disagree, even sharply, but the manner in which you express those differences could mean anything from intentional separation to intentional and violent confrontation. Unless you truly desire violence you need to tone down the toxins when expressing your displeasure. Do we really want another sick individual to make good on the threats we purposefully make? Flaming arrows always find a place to land and burn. Rarely do they disappear into thin air…

Is Morality Dead?

Morality means conformity to the rules of right conduct. It goes further into manner, character and behavior. It’s a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions, those that are good and bad, or right and wrong.

Here is where it gets tricky. It is developed around a moral code, which is a system of morality based upon a specific belief, religion, culture, or philosophy. The problem we have is defining the moral code based upon which guidelines are used.

Obviously society comes to a silent agreement concerning what is most offensive. When someone does something that offends the overwhelming majority we call their actions morally offensive. That would be to the majority of the people. Even though we don’t know exactly where that ball balances, we know that it finds its own level, just as water does.

In spite of our many different philosophies and belief systems somehow a natural gravitational point becomes the moral code. That overall scale is what appears to be lowering more and more with the passage of time.

Morality is not dead but it is certainly descending ever lower. What was once offensive is becoming more flexible, tending to become somewhat normal. Many facets of our entertainment have lowered the code so greatly because what is popular seems to have taken over what is considered as morally decent.

Nudity, graphic violence, foul language, blasphemy, demoralizing statements about women, demigod statements, and the like have become the new norm. . Once there was a natural and general reverence for God, women, children, the church establishment and other things we called sacred, but that bar has been lowered to the extreme..

It is one thing for individuals to exercise their rights and go completely against the moral code regardless of the consequences. These were formerly the "bad eggs" of our society and not that long ago. However, today they are the “bad boys or girls,” which are socially fashionable and considered to be pop culture icons.

Why the sudden turnaround? It is because some of the top financial institutions will finance what is popular regardless of its offense. Companies that we consider to be our media giants will broadcast of publish things that are morally repugnant and reprehensible. If these are now our gatekeepers, then God help us.

If the moral code was previously at ten on the Richter Scale, it is now down to and below five. Things that were embarrassing and deplorable just a few years ago are now fashionably acceptable. Morality may not be dead, but it certainly is evolving into a new creature that barely resembles what it used to be.

Chances are what we once called the moral code is dead. I can’t see it coming back as it was. Now that the cat is out of the bag it will not go back in. Where does that leave us?

I was once a young man and thought as one. Now that I am older I no longer think the same way. It appears that with each passing generation the bar is lowered. What does that mean for the elders? In all probability we will all die and leave the world differently.

We were part of the cause of lowering the morality code when we fought against the system. We wanted and demanded that things be different and far removed from the strictness of our parents. Now the question is, where will all this rebellion end?

Is morality dead? You tell me.