America Stumbled

For a very long time, Christianity and Judaism ruled in America. People were indoctrinated into a culture that emphasized Judeo-Christian values, and those values were placed at the forefront of our society from cradle to the grave. It was a very good system that ensured that people behaved themselves, which is a key characteristic to a society that functions well. Not perfectly, but well.

Then came the second world war. An entire generation of Americans went to war, facing a range of experiences that ranged from unpleasant to horrific. Those that returned from battling enemies around the world had a very natural reaction to peacetime: "go for it". I have never experienced war, but I can well imagine that the victors of a war that involved everyone in the nation could well have an attitude of celebration. And celebrate is exactly what America did.

The 1950s were an economic boomtime for America. Material goods flowed from our factories, and wealth was created at an astonishing pace. Conveniences that were unheard of before the war became commonplace. It was truly a time of social upheaval, except that the nation was so busy enjoying the fruits of success that nobody really noticed.

Then came the 1960s, which was when the children of the veterans of the second world war became teenagers. They were born as early as 1945, making them 15 in 1960. They were the vanguard of what we know now as the members of the "baby boom"; all those servicemen full of victory, vitality and that "go fr it" attitude were having babies. But they were so busy either "going for it" or instilling that same attitude in their children that those age-old Judeo-Christian values simply weren't being made the cornerstone of the American ethic.

The final nail in the coffin of the Judeo-Christian ethic in America was the advent of a number of new and dramatic technologies. Perhaps the poster child of these is the computer, which has revolutionized most aspects of life in America. That revolution has taken place so quickly that the elderly have no notion of how life works with the new technologies. Their experience is rendered inconsequential. At the same time, the young are able to adapt to the new technologies without conscious thought.

Now consider the effect of having a large population of young adults who were raised with an attitude of "going for it", living in a society that dramatically changes from decade to decade. That same society is democratic, meaning that that large population of young adults has a significant say in how the society will reward or punish a number of behaviors via the laws and ordinances that structure the society. Unfortunately, the value of the old-fashioned Judeo-Christian ethic to the society was overlooked in all the excitement, and fundamental values were not being instilled in any systematic way.

So the ultimate result of all this is that our society tripped. A generation of parents coming back from the second world war were too much changed by their experiences to have the energy and enthusiasm to sort through the good and bad habits of their children in a dynamically-changing environment. As a result, too many of those children turned to their instincts instead of those Judeo-Christian ethics. That was the point at which America tripped. A healthy stride had been broken.

Today, the children of the baby boom are approaching retirement, perhaps the golden age of their lives, where they have the opportunity to demonstrate their accumulated wisdom from the past 60 years. Unfortunately, the boomers seem to be more focused on remaining young and enjoying their retirement decades as they enjoyed their earlier decades. Viagra, cosmetic surgery and knee replacements may be the focus of that generation.

I like to think that Americans are so blessed that we have the time and resources to become a nation of philosopher kings. A democratic society so capable, so aware of the good and bad points in the nature of humanity that we can offer remarkable insights to others - and govern our own inevitable failings with grace and dignity. I believe that we have been on that path for two hundred years, barring our recent stumble triggered by the events of the second world war.

I look forward to the generations to come to recognize the way that the second world war impacted the development of our society and to put right the wrongs that we have committed to law for our citizens. I hope that we have retined the wisdom to again turn to the path of developing a nation of philosopher kings. As children, we are going to be indoctrinated into some set of values. Why not those of philosopher kings?