Decent - Polite. Respectable. Proper. Suitable.
These are words, long used to describe people, which seem to belong to a different era. They belong in black & white films. They seem old fashioned and out of date in a modern world. How have we reached a situation, as human beings, in which that can be accepted as normal?
Why is it no longer the case that we expect honorable, decent behaviour to be the norm? How have we reached a point of cynicism where we do expect people, especially those in the public eye, to be self serving & duplicitous?
I can't believe, as individuals, that we think this marked change in expectation is acceptable. Do we not strive to behave well any more? Are we really so self absorbed that our own gratification justifies any behaviour to others?
The only comfort is that I think of the people I know & by an large they are nice people. They are human & they make mistakes, but mostly I trust them. Trust is a leap of faith, because we can never really know someone else, however close our relationship. People do let you down, but they also support you through thick & thin.
My problem is that I have lost faith in the decision makers in the world & those who influence decision making. I can't think of many who I instinctively trust to make the right decisions for the long term benefit of the world. In fact the opposite is true.
The European Referendum is shaping up to be a dog fight of mis-information & vitriol. It's far too important for that, but how on earth are the public going to make an informed choice in the current climate of fear & lies? The only fact is that no one knows what the future holds, in or out of the EU. Everything is speculation. Politicians may refer to themselves as "Honerable Member". I don't think the majority of the public would agree.
No comments:
Post a Comment