Moral preparation, take 2

During a recent In Theory feature, panelists discussed the findings

of a Barna Group poll that showed only 8% of those surveyed believed

that children were well prepared spiritually or morally for life. In

response, a reader wrote “the mythology that moral strictures in the

past were more powerful than today runs counter to much of reality.”

Given that this nation’s history includes slavery, discrimination and

exclusion -- both by government and by religious groups -- can we

truly say that society in general is more moral or more spiritual

today than it was in the past?

In terms of scientific achievement, technological progress, life

expectancy, range of choices and material abundance, we are vastly

superior to any previous society. But our ethical development, moral

advancement and spiritual achievement have not kept pace. We know

more but are not wiser. We can do more but are not clear if we

should. We are better off but not better. We have more information

but less apprecia- tion. We have conquered what is distant, but we

have not mastered what is close at hand.

Human nature has not improved over the ages. Surely, there is now

as much greed, pride, betrayal, narcissism, aggression, disloyalty,

prejudice, hypocrisy, hate, cowardice and apathy as ever before. We

are hardly more forgiving, tolerant, compassionate and selfless than

generations past.

Do we keep commitments better than our grandparents? Are we more

trustworthy than they? So many today choose pleasure over

responsibility and personal benefit over the common good. Boundaries

and limits disintegrate before the onslaught of relativism. There are

three conclusions that guide behavior -- right, wrong and “everybody

does it.”

Surely, we are not more able than our forebears to resist

temptation. There has been an astonishingly rapid eclipse of the very

idea that there are shared moral norms. We emphasize feeling good

over doing good. In a society of plenty, awash in physical splendor,

there is an emptiness, a hollowness within. Many young people exhibit

hopelessness.

Yes, there is a visible proliferation of houses of worship, but

are they facades for many who make a pretense of piety? Yes,

religiosity is more visible, but so much suffering and pain remain

invisible to us, by our choice. Is our spirituality mirrored in Mark

Twain’s description of the Platte River -- “a mile wide and an inch

deep”?

People may more vocally espouse “religion,” but what of a

commanding and demanding faith? And, though we have at our disposal

ever more efficient means of communication, are we speaking from our

hearts and telling the truth?

It is a wise commentator who observed: “We have learned to swim

the oceans like fish, to fly in the sky like birds, to sail through

space like satellites. Now, let us learn to walk the earth as human

beings.”

If only we were as good as we think we are!

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yam

Newport Beach

My dad, Don Haynes, grew up during the great depression, served in

World War II as one of “The Greatest Generation,” loved Big Band

music and was Glenn Miller’s business manager and best friend. Yet,

dad listened to the music I played in our home, when I was an

adolescent.

Sometimes I’d hear him singing lyrics to songs of the ‘60s. His

favorite seemed to me to be: “I’ve got to admit it’s getting better,

it’s a little better all the time ... You gave me the word I finally

heard, I’m doing the best that I can. I have to admit it’s getting

better, getting so much better all the time.”

So, in response to this question, I am on the same page as that

“Daily Pilot reader,” my dad and the Beatles!

(THE VERY REV’D CANON)

PETER D. HAYNES

Saint Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

Thank you to the reader for giving us the opportunity to be more

specific. Several misunder- standings run through the letter.

First, you can hang an apple on an orange tree and call it an

orange, but that doesn’t change reality. The world’s houses of

worship -- Christian and otherwise -- are full of apples that feel

that their presence in a house of worship, or obeisance to certain

liturgies and practices, will make them an orange. The problem comes

when the world looks on these wannabe oranges and doesn’t know the

difference. This causes problems for the real oranges.

The Hebrew prophets repeatedly chastised the people for a

religiosity that included lots of religious bells and whistles, but

excluded the care of the poor, orphans and widows. God told them He

wanted their hearts, not their sacrifices.

The misunderstanding is that just because a religious group is in

power, doesn’t mean that their actions will purely reflect the

intentions of Scripture.

With that said, in the instances mentioned by the reader, where

people were discriminated against, people used religion as an excuse

to further their own agenda. Simultaneously, however, there was

always a group of the faithful, who preached and worked against

slavery, racism, poverty, etc.

That is true even today. Some groups parade hateful slogans

against AIDS and people who suffer from it. At the same time, there

are many more of us who are quietly developing ways to serve and

minister to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Second, we are living in an increasingly secular -- spiritual, yet

secular -- culture. Anyone who has lived or traveled in any former

Soviet bloc country will have noticed that the moral foundations of

religion were erased from culture by edict of the state. Those moral

foundations taught respect for community and life. The moral

foundations of the Soviet states replaced religion with

state-determined morality.

When those Soviet states disintegrated, people were left without

religion and without a state-defined morality. (I am speaking in

general terms; certainly people of faith made it through this era but

continue as a minority. Certainly, the moral foundations of

government and leadership were gone.) All that remained was “me.”

Morality, since the fall of the Soviets, has been largely based on

what works for “me.” Corruption and crime are rampant as symbolic

effects of declining morality. In 1995, the Alan Guttmacher Institute

records Eastern Europe with highest global incidence of abortion,

with more than 65% of pregnancies ending in abortion.

Today, Americans live with a general respect for life and

community that we have inherited from our religious past. That

general respect for life and justice caused Abraham Lincoln to risk

the unity of this nation and the lives of a massive number of its

sons to free the slaves from the indignity of slavery.

There is a remnant of that moral fortitude left today. The moral

foundations of our Judeo/Christian past are being relegated to the

sidelines of American life by secular fundamentalists. Those

foundations did not prevent the failures of the past, but it did keep

those failures from being worse or continuing.

Now we continue the ongoing work of trying to conform our lives

and decisions to our beliefs. Today, many children are being raised

under the moral code of “if it feels good, do it,” or “if it doesn’t

hurt anyone else, then go ahead.” That was how I was raised. That is

the same kind of selfish morality that is pervasive in post-Soviet

Eastern Europe.

Unless we get alarmed over the 8% figure, we are headed for the

same results.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE PASTOR

RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

The reader who brought up the probability that we exaggerate the

moral superiority of previous generations made a good point, and I

commend him for taking the time to write a letter sharing his view.

But I wonder how much time should really be spent in this

conversation of “my generation is holier than yours.” Isn’t it more

important to reflect on what we are doing today to address the urgent

spiritual concerns of our time -- concerns such as poverty,

sustainability, violence and equity?

Maybe if we focus on solving some of these problems, our children

and grandchildren will have the luxury of reviewing our moral

competence.

I’m usually put off by the profiling of generations -- “The

Greatest Generation,” “baby boomers,” “generation X,” “generation Y,”

etc. I noticed with amusement how the young people of today, who were

routinely called spoiled brats in the media, were the very same who,

all of a sudden, were called amazingly patriotic and selfless when

serving in the most recent war. I have also noticed how the stock of

“baby boomers” has gone down with the debates on Social Security

reform (no pun intended).

I agree with the reader that we are comparing apples to oranges

when we make a statement such as “only 8% of children are morally and

spiritually prepared for life,” insinuating that previous generations

had higher numbers. Given there were no polls when we were children,

how can we know what our number would have been? Maybe only 5% of us

were morally well-prepared to meet today’s challenges.

But whether we were prepared or not, we still should do our best

to clarify our personal values, our nation’s values and the values of

the global community -- and ask whether these values are based on

wisdom and compassion, or fear and selfishness.

Some of the questions I have concerning the spiritual preparedness

of today’s children are: Do parents have the time and resources to

parent well? What messages as a culture do we give our children

concerning what is of ultimate value? Are we creating a world that

will “be there” for future generations, or are we saying we don’t

really care if they have the opportunity to survive and thrive? Are

we modeling, as individuals and society, lifestyles that are

spiritually healthy and uplifting? And finally, the most important

question: How am I spending my day to deepen my understanding and

realization of what it means to “move toward the good” and to be in

spiritual communion with all I encounter?

REV. CAROL AGUILAR

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa

The moral dilemma our children face is complex. There are so many

mixed messages being sent by the media that it is difficult for

anyone to discern an ethical sense of right from wrong.

Reality shows on TV often associate low curiosities and bad moral

behavior with winning and being successful. Add to this the violence

promoted on video games, professional sports and politics, and you

have a very confusing set of instructions on how to live your life.

This is why religion is so important to our culture.

By teaching a solid spiritual philosophy, you give a child an

approach that provides them the tools on how to live, make choices

and behave. This does not mean that all behave or that all have

positive outcomes. It means that they have a better chance at

changing their habits when they decide it is time to live from a more

enlightened point of view. These pivotal times appear throughout

one’s life and always provide a doorway into a new life.

A good philosophy will provide a spiritual approach that helps

build an awareness of how precious life is and how important the

practice of love. Through prayer and the willingness to change, one

can find the moral direction of his or her life and be guided to the

path of service, generosity and compassion. Once on this path, your

life turns into something quite different. The more adults who find

their way, the more children will find theirs.

Don’t be deceived into believing that this is an institutional

problem. This is the responsibility of each adult. The percentage of

children receiving a moral education depends on the number of adults

who are committed to theirs.

If only 8% of all children are learning, then more adults must

assume the responsibility for making significant changes in their own

lives. Children learn morals by watching adult behavior.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” said

Mohandas Gandhi.

Stop complaining about the lack of moral education and start

teaching by example what you want others to learn.

SENIOR PASTOR

JAMES TURRELL

Center for Spiritual Discovery

Costa Mesa