Page 16 - 2015 On The Path

16 – Sunday, October 25, 2015 – El Dorado NEWS-TIMES
Taylor: Individuals key to moral turn-around
Michael Taylor is professor of communications at Henderson State University. He recently took time to answer questions regarding his views of society’s moral standing.
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Q: Is our society any more or
less moral than in generations past?
A: No. There have always been moral and immoral people throughout history. The sup- posedly moral 1950s, for ex- ample, saw intense segregation and racial murders, McCarthy witch hunts and a rise in sub- urban alcoholism and juvenile delinquency. People who were raised with a strong ethical sense tend to look back fondly on their childhood has a “better” time. This has been going on since Socrates, but when you study the
past, it was never better. People say, “But today the Internet is full of awful people doing terri- ble things!” Yes, but every day it is also full of ordinary peo- ple doing moral things--helping strangers on an airplane, creat- ing the ALS challenge, rescuing people from burning buildings and so on.
Q: What are the most import- ant factors to a society’s moral fabric?
A: Fairness. The rule of law (including closely safeguarding our constitutional freedoms). A societal commitment to educat- ing everyone within the society, to feeding the hungry, to hous- ing the homeless, and healing the sick. Without these, any so- cietal discussion of “morality” is but hypocritical lip service.
Q: What can compel a society to alter its moral course? A sin- gle incident? An accumulative effect? What can serve as a tip- ping point?
A: Individuals who person- ally commit themselves to the common good can alter society and while they are at it, im- prove the quality of their own lives. We see it everywhere in the caring and giving shown in American and Arkansan small towns and rural communi- ties--we just don’t see much of it in our legislature, Congress or mass media.
Q: Is there a most important moral or ethical issue facing Americans/Arkansans today?
A: A nation that claims to be guided by Christian principals, but spends more tax dollars on
its war machine than on helping those in need has no right to such a claim. This is the central hypocrisy that keeps our moral compass from pointing in a true direction.
Q: Lay out a step-by-step plan for how a person/community/ society could consciously be- gin to regain a moral-centric lifestyle.
A: Educate the children in your community. Volunteer in schools, drop off bags of food at the doors of needy families and vote out politicians who focus on personal greed over raising the status of everyone--our farmers, the middle class, the poor, the immigrant.
Only by caring for one anoth- er can we claim a strong moral fiber. Throwing up our hands
over school shootings and sexual scandals while we do nothing to improve public mental health care or educate poor children to make ethical choices creates good television, but it does noth- ing to promote a “moral-centric” lifestyle.
Turning your back on our “evil” society and home-school- ing your children while your neighbors suffer guarantees that those home-schooled children will enter a less moral society as adults.
Only local action which in- cludes personally helping the poorest in your communi- ty--truly loving your neighbors- -can do that. And beware poli- ticians or preachers who claim morality while robbing you blind and enriching the pow- erful.
Proud to be a part of Union County for 50 years.