MORAL DECAY: A SIGN OF CHANGING TIMES

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.

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