Times Of Swaziland: MORAL DECAY: A SIGN OF CHANGING TIMES

MORAL DECAY: A SIGN OF CHANGING TIMES
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Runsford Laryea on 12/11/2024 08:02:00


THE constant evolution of mankind since his existence has been mankinds’
greatest and most potent survival attribute. This has yielded the greatest
inventions; medically, we have expanded our reach and technological advancements
have made great strides and the human beings’ lives in general have been made
a bit more free-flowing on account of the overall lifestyle improvements we have
witnessed, especially in recent times. That, of course is the predominantly
optimistic perception that one might have of the world as it is, which almost
automatically means there might be a point of perception that slightly begs to
differ.
Developments
Just like many of us, I, too, am an avid fan of all the developments we continue
to revel in as a society and of course, these are great. It would, however, be a
very keen observation to take note of all the ‘not-so-good’ by-products of
the ‘societal metamorphosis’ we have undergone, especially because most (if
not all of it) has very heavy impacts on the very fabric of our social and moral
being. The emergence of the social network field of communication has brought
with it the ease to communicate, trade and increase individual networking, while
firmly intensifying its grip on our self-images, on shaping our public opinions
and set trends for the masses to follow.
Values
The world has become so much of a global community, the ease of ideologies,
behaviours (among other things) to move between countries or local communities
is almost ‘supersonic’. From a psychosocial point of view, we have slightly
shifted from the traditional set of morals and values that previously governed
us as a nation and as individuals and because of that we continue to see
instances that support that. Previously considered as immoral, acts like rape
and gender-based violence have skyrocketed, despite the hardwork of multiple
organisations. This only illustrates a dramatic shift in the way, men (for
instance) think which then manifests through their continually irrational
behaviors we display towards each other and others.
Young adults, these days have a greater propensity for mental illness and this
is, unfortunately ,not on purpose. We live in a world that has become
increasingly vicious, cold and unkind.
As young adults, we are subject to lives that come with expectations from family
and peers, which, if we are unable to meet will adversely impact on our physical
and psychoemotional lives. Concurrently, we have the glaring standards that the
media (and social media) have set for us to live up to, all of which contributes
to the mental detriment of the young adult in the world today.
Comparison
Formerly, this was a rarely popular phenomenon by comparison to the youth of
thirty or forty years ago who was arguably psychologically healthier than a
young adult today. Well, there is an argument, at least.Parents nowadays, have
the slightly stiffer task of parenting a modern child, where they also have to
tough competition from the rifeness of drugs, the influences of peers and in
particular, ‘external influencers’ online. Morally, also, it is harder to
instill the traditional set that used to work because of the fluid nature of our
societys’ status quo.
It is important to note, that the argument is not against civil development, it
is more laden with the worry about the direction in which our society is headed
in the medium to long term. We need to be conscious of the fact that our
relations with each other are still the most vital and it is our duty to
preserve a healthy social and moral environment for us and our futures.
end comments to: runsford0505@gmail.com.