New Year 2023

I have been having problems with this blog and think I finally have it figured out. Not sure if anyone even tries to read it anymore, but I am gong to try and post more often. Please leave me a note if you are reading it and also your thoughts. Thanks.

I got to thinking , which is usually not a good thing, but with all the crap I see in the news, especially what is going on in Washington, I decided to climb up on my soapbox.

Integrity. 

I wonder if many know what it means or have any, anymore.

Seems like it’s a word from a bygone era, now. Look to our “leaders”. Few it seems have any. Low moral character. From what I see on the news and what comes out of the political arena . Not in our state houses or Washington DC. 

I was raised in a time where we were held to a higher standard, it seems. Yeah, I am an old fuddy duddy. And when my parents and the schools and churches taught us about high moral character and integrity, it didn’t seem like to big of a deal. Sure you wanted to be liked and trusted, but as I grew I found the people who were liked and trusted had pretty good morals and integrity. If you broke it, you owned up to it and got it fixed or did it yourself. If you borrowed it, you took it back. You had responsibilities and everyone mostly held you to them.

I am not sure where this country went wrong. You could point out many instances that lead to the lack of moral character and integrity in this nation and the world, looking back. There were people who were looked down on and mistrusted because of actions they had taken. And the word spread around so as to save other people the pain and suffering that was caused by their actions. People were held accountable.

Anymore, with out “kinder, gentler” ways, it seems that no one is really held accountable. They always have a good excuse. “It was their parents fault”. “It is societies fault”. “They were hungry, or poor or sick”. And at times, they were valid reasons perhaps. 

But somewhere along the way, it went all wrong. Pretty soon everyone had what was accepted as a valid excuse. From the neighborhood bully to the bullies in our statehouses and Washington!

And now we suffer what it all caused. People stay home from work because they can make as much or more money from the government. Children are raised in single parent households and society tells us that is normal and right. Lawbreakers get off with a slap on the wrist or very little punishment. 

And we always come up with reasons why, that are supposed to be good reasons. It’s always someone else fault. And we are told to live and let live. Not make waves. Don’t be judgmental.

I don’t want to be a preacher, but it seems to me that the 10 Commandments were given us, as good reasons not to do things because that would hurt us and society. 

It’s okay to have sex outside of marriage. It’s okay to live off the government. It’s okay to make as much money as you can and not worry about the other guy. Hey, you have to stand up for yourself. You have to look out for yourself! Nobody else is going to do it for you! It’s not stealing if they are stupid enough to allow it.

As the debate goes on in Washington amongst our “leaders” and “representatives” that can’t seem to accomplish anything, I think we have only ourselves to blame. It’s too much bother to get involved! Hey, you got to make the bucks while you can, not one else is going to look out for you. You don’t have time to really check out the  people up for vote or to actually find good people as candidates.

I am not sure how or when it all changed, but I am afraid, until we start all getting more moral integrity and doing what we ought to, even when it’s painful, it isn’t going to get any better.

Okay, I am off my soapbox now. Good luck in this new year. From what I have seen so far, we are all going to need it!