Insecurity => creativity LO10842

Rol Fessenden (76234.3636@CompuServe.COM)
02 Nov 96 20:19:28 EST

Replying to LO10807 --

Joan makes a number of statements about moral decay that I want to comment
on. A reading of history may make us feel considerably better about the
decay we have observed in our own lifetimes, and in our own culture.

For example, sexual behavior has varied widely over the centuries.
Elizabethan England, 17th century France, various times in chinese
history, and virtually throughout African history we see vastly different
values about sex than we observe today or than we observed 50 years ago in
Europe or the US. Shunning of women who had babies out of wedlock is a
distinctly European and American unsvory practice that is less than
(probably) 100 years old. In Africa, having a baby is, in many cultures,
a good thing to do before getting married. So history tells us there has
been a lot of diversity in 'normal' sexual practices.

Ditto drugs. In the 1800's many housewives were addicts because morphine
was used as an approved drug for menstrual pain. Tobacco and alcohol are
approved at the moment, but alcohol was not approved in the US in the
'30's. Tobacco may be unapproved some day. Hemp is used by various
cultures, sometimes for religious purposes. Coca was used routinely by
British doctors in the early 1800's. So again, we see a lot of diversity
in drug use. Some African cultures use drugs in a number of rites.

In both these fields I wish I knew more about other cultures, because I
feel sure we would see even greater diversity. The diversity means --
only to me, perhaps -- that what we are observing in our culture today is
part of a normal ebb and flow. Mores change, and then they change back.
It is fascinating to observe, and wonder where they will go next. It is,
at least for me, reassuring that what we are observing is probably not
permanent.

== begin quote ==

When I say that our morals have decayed, I mean that the establishment,
which has a great effect on what we do and what we consider acceptable,
has been leading us for over 20 years toward a valueless society, one
where there are no absolutes, where everyone is encouraged to do what they
think is right and are told that they should not judge the actions of
others for fear of hurting their self-esteem. The establishment's negative
effects on our morals are evidenced in many, many ways.
...snip...
== end quote ==

[Host's Note: I trimmed your quote of the prev msg substantially; hope
that's OK and doesn't interfere with your msg, Rol. ...Rick]

-- 

Rol Fessenden <76234.3636@CompuServe.COM>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>