Honesty Makes Me Happy

Yesterday, my post was a poem about the humility and teachability of children. This picture of my grandson and his "I can be honest" hat (taken by his mother on her iPhone at church) brings that truth to mind. I wish every child were being taught the principle of honesty in such a direct way. It seems as if most schools (and even some families) have sort of abdicated any responsibility for imparting moral standards, and with religious influence on the wane, I don't see anyone or anything stepping in to pick up the slack. As a result, I fear that our society is changing for the worse.

My sister is an educator, and she is troubled by the way her student population has altered over the course of her long career. In fact, she and her peers speak of this frequently. A few years ago, discipline in and out of the classroom became such a problem that she took a sizable cut in pay and moved to a Catholic girl's school, where expectations of good behavior are firmly placed upon the children and enforced by parents and teachers alike. Cheating is not tolerated, and there is a concerted effort to teach every girl there the importance of holding herself to the highest ethical standard. In this environment, my sister is free to impart knowledge in a milieu of mutual respect and honor that used to be the norm and is now becoming the exception.

It's not too late to turn the "anything goes, if you don't get caught" tide that is swirling all around us. Of course, it begins in the home, but there's no reason why like-minded people can't spread the message through their communities. With some active consciousness-raising by parents, maybe those in charge of curriculum in our educational system could realize that there are still a few principles that can and should be deemed "politically correct"––basic tenets with which every individual ought to agree––universal codes of conduct that can and should be upheld and yes, even taught in the schools.

Teaching honesty, patience, respect, compassion, fairness, perseverance, forgiveness, generosity, helpfulness, gratitude, and honor does not violate our constitutional requirement that church and state be separated. Surely one should not have to be religious to stand behind and support these virtues.

Benjamin Franklin, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

From Benjamin Franklin's lips to our ears. I just hope we can hear him.

{virtue makes me happy}

And so does the birthday of a very dear and virtuous friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!

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