Morality is MIA
The moral compass of our society has come under serious attack with the recent Penn State Scandal. As I watched the public respond, I was disturbed at the indifference displayed by some, as they focused on a fallen coaching legend and a failing football program as opposed to fallen man who failed to protect our youth. What happened to us that we rioted in support of Paterno rather than storming the police department demanding justice? When did glorified sports “heroes” trump the rest of society? Are we so emotionally strapped that we couldn’t focus our energy with compassion towards the victims? When did we abandon the basic principles of “community”?
I say “we”, because I think we are all to blame – I think we all get caught up in our own stuff, that we forget we are part of a bigger family … we close our minds, our hearts to one another and we hide behind a cloak of ignorance. Is it fear? Is it denial? What happened to us, that we turn the other cheek more often than we open our arms to comfort another human being? We stop for animals and bring them home, providing food and shelter … but a child being raped? We do nothing.
I am not surprised really; we are a desensitized society – we hear stories of people being victimized as often as we hear the weather report. Maybe the powers that be at Penn State didn’t really think too much of it when they were enlightened to the alleged violent attack on a helpless boy at the hands of their beloved coach. Maybe it didn’t strike a chord deep enough in their souls, to attach any legitimacy to the report that a boy was seen sodomized in their showers. Maybe they lost their sensitivity along the way or maybe their sight was so fixated on winning a National Championship that they couldn’t see the decay burrowing itself in their locker room.
Obviously, these attacks are all alleged and Sandusky will have his day in court to plead his case and until then we will all speculate and vilify and boycott … but when we will all stop and pause for the young men and their families that are living in fear and shame. When will we regain our commitment to our community?
It’s unfortunate how little sympathy our society has for each others pain and suffering. I work with teens on a daily basis, and I advocate my heart and soul off for their safety and protection – and its appalling to me that when this abuse could have been stopped, nobody lifted a finger. Nobody raised their fists in protest. Nobody turned their back on “him”, they only turned their back on “them”. What kind of message does it send to our youth? “Sorry kids, leaders chose a football over your innocence.” Deeply disturbing.
What will it take to shake society of its tolerance for others wrong doings? What will it take for us to step outside our comfort zone and fight for each others honor, safety, protection, no matter what the cost? I am not advocating vigilantism; I am encouraging empowerment, bravery, morality. One phone call isn’t enough … ten phone calls are not enough …it’s never enough to do the bare minimum when our community is put in harm’s way and nobody is doing anything to alter the outcome. Regardless of what happens to the man at the center of this horrific tragedy, or to those who turned their moral compass off completely when they were given an opportunity to be decent, kind … human – we can effect a different result for the future. We have an opportunity NOW to make a shift. We need to hold ourselves and our colleagues accountable, raise the bar on integrity and morality, show empathy towards those who need our support, put our kids and our community first … become sensitive again.
We need to shed the cloak.
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