Page 3 - 2015 On The Path

Be a Blessing to Someone Today.
Quality Electric Co., Inc.
El Dorado NEWS-TIMES – Sunday, October 25, 2015 – 3
Have we strayed from the right path?
By Rick Fahr rfahr@eldoradonews.com
Like the smell of rain when stormclouds are still off in the distance, the notion that society has lost its moral compass is more of an ab- stract idea than a concrete fact. It’s something we sense more than we know. Still, stop the next three people walking down the sidewalk, and at least two of them will lament the increasing speed of our hell-in-a-handbasket trip.
Is society less moral than it was last week, last year, last generation? That might depend on who you ask.
Those of us who have been around more than a little while often find ourselves longing for the good ol’ days when all was right with the world,
evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, but there are those for whom it’s always sunny and 75. These orchids of humankind see little wrong with how things are going, however they are or are not. They may be blissfully ignorant of the current situation, or they may not care, in itself a morally feckless perspective. The rest of us, though, feel a need to at least wring our hands on a regular basis.
The answer to the overarching question of the general state of our societal morality might also depend on how much you pay attention to available media.
There is no doubt that coverage of contentious issues has grown exponentially as media chan- nels have proliferated. Episodes that may simply have slipped under the radar years ago are now
on a continuous loop and are tabloid fodder for weeks. For example: Are more adults sexually abusing children now than in the past? Or do we simply know more about those cases? Either way, one case is too many, no matter if it makes the front page or remains hidden deep inside a closet with the other skeletons.
A third factor is that morality isn’t rigid. It’s pliable, depending on circumstances and time and perspective. Slavery was acceptable for thousands of years. Speaking of acceptable, in the United States officials are struggling to de- termine whether lethal injections are OK, but in Saudi Arabia, executions follow a distinctly less dainty pattern.
See PATH on page 4
0708
101 Nick Springs Rd. El Dorado 862.9958
TREE SERVICE
• Emergency Tree Service •
Fully Insured! FR EE Estim ates!
0606 863-6188