Signs of hope still evident

So many of us who are updated on the world of news, either by newspaper, radio, or television, can be very easily discouraged about the moral state of our society. The frequent reports of murder, rape, theft, abortion, euthanasia, and countless other sins against humanity would naturally depress any concerned person.

We can see the evidence of a corrupt society right in our own communities: “common law” households, very few children, uncontrollable teenagers, and in general a population imbued with consumerism. One of the most serious problems today is the lack of respect among people in matters of love and personal dignity. I’m sure we’ve all experienced, either personally or through a friend, relationships that were thought to be “true love.” But how many times did these relationships turn out to be mere infatuation? And can we escape the immodest clothing trends of our society? Peer pressure to be accepted is at a high- so do we compromise out beliefs and even our morality just to fit in? is the world truly a terrible place, and will it only get worse with time?

If we examine social patterns in history, we can see that recent generations are really no different than those of the past. Just look at the Roman Empire with all its corruption and greed- surely today’s society can be no worse than it was then. And yet anyone who travels to Rome today can see the influence of religion everywhere- one can not walk down a small cobblestone road without noticing the many religious statues and paintings, all surrounded by fresh flowers, on the walls of the most rundown buildings.

So how is it that a society that was almost past the point of no return could make such an inspiring comeback? Because there was hope. People by nature cannot give up. We are all tenacious in one way or another when it comes to morality. We will always fight for what we believe is right, though sometimes our ideas of right and wrong may vary a little.

What makes the news

We cannot be discouraged and say the world can only get worse. We must constantly look at all of good that still exists- just look at all of the people around the world taking a stand for the innocent unborn. Are they sitting around saying there is no hope and there is nothing we can do? No! They know that things will only get better if we have hope, and if we keep on fighting for what is good and right. And, believe it or not, there are so many people today who do good things all the time. Unfortunately, the media doesn’t tell you about them. Consider all of the foul things that are “reported on” by the media- is the world really all that terrible? I mean, how many people do you know that have been murdered? And on the other hand, how many people do you know that go out of their way to make someone happy, either by giving money to someone on the street, making donations to charities, visiting a sick relative, babysitting for a neighbor without pay, or simply rejoicing at the birth of a child? We can’t deny that people still have their conscience. And when we have a conscience, we have morality, and with morality, there is hope.

So then, why is there immorality in society? So many people today are brought up in broken or unhappy homes, with little or no values transmitted to children. Some people learn between right and wrong with little or no guidance. So of course the idea of what is right and what is wrong today will vary. Many people, for example, have no idea of the sanctity of marriage, and thus we have many “common law” couples. To these people, expressing love through pre-marital sex seems very natural, and therefore right. And take a look through a teen magazine and notice the immodest fashions that are inescapable. What are these teenagers looking for when they expose and exploit themselves? They’re looking for love, and many young people today believe they can find it through physical attraction. This is truly the source of all today’s problems: the lack of formation of children. Just think, if all families instructed their children about right and wrong in its objectivity, we would all be of the same moral mind. And we would all know that love is not found in attraction, and that it can be expressed in ways other than sex.

Call me an optimist, an idealist, a teenager. I know that as long as there are some good people in the world, and I know many, there will always be hope.