Insights and Brain Jogs

The challenges "How to make our journey or mission effective and relevant in our local community, empowering our members and brothers to do good works while enjoying the ride"' .A Five part input series in re-inventing ourselves as a organization by S.Holle GK 9262

In defense of our traditional values

Buckle up and enjoy life’s ride to fewer entitlements and more responsibilities Article 1- Knight 9262 renewal series

"We are shaping the world faster than we can shape ourselves and we are applying to the present the habits of the past."--Winston Churchill

Sir Winston seems to be talking directly to today's people. Despite the changing landscape of events, there is evidence that the "Ma and Pa or old fashioned Mindset" continues to prevail. Is this a good or bad trend?

In a curious paradox, the more egalitarian, pluralistic and prosperous our society has become the less civil, courteous and respectful our society is. There are few if any shared values that keep us tied together as citizens.. The maxims "if it feels good, do it" and "live for today" that were drilled into our heads during the 1960s and 1970s have become the guiding credos of today.

The decline of rightful authority and shared community values is, of course, not a novel topic. But what are the root causes of today's ruthless, neurotic, decency-challenged times. Here they are some thoughts:

The complacency of fifty years of good times has bred contempt of traditional values. Fifty years of unparalleled peace and prosperity in America -- three generations of North Americans who (except for the minority who have actually served in the military) have never experienced war, pestilence, deprivations or famine firsthand -- when you aren't used to bad things happening in your life, even extremely minor bad things can easily be blown way out of proportion;

The rise of a secular, multiethnic society that places individual freedom, special interest and "liberation" over everything else, and that offers little if any consensus or "top-down" direction on ethical matters and social etiquette has prevailed over time. Yes, a lot of those "middle-class bourgeois values" the Greatest Generation or the Silent Majority held dear were B.S., but they were B.S. that held us together as a society and therefore served a useful function.

Frankly, with the worst economic recession in over 50 years -- people are scared, and scared people say and do crazy things sometimes. Traditional values are and have again become fashionably progressive.

It is not an exaggeration to say that many Americans today are spoiled children (what author Christopher Noxon calls "re-juveniles") who expect a perfect, unblemished life as a natural right of mankind. They cannot accept adversity of any kind, no matter how slight, because they never have been exposed to it and cannot accept it as just a natural part of life. When something bad happens to somebody, it's somebody else's fault, and damn It, those sons-of-whatever are going to pay! Self centered selfishness and self interest is prevalent everywhere and has become a cancer in our institutions

People today -- at least in North America -- are a lot different than they were when the Greatest Generation ruled society. Fifty years ago, people were inundated with moral and ethical training from their diapers -- they belonged to churches, other religious bodies (and actually went to them regularly). They attended religious schools that drilled civil behavior and personal responsibility into them. Shared community values were rigorously and fearlessly enforced by people- clergy, teachers, politicians and others whose authority in such matters was not questioned.

Fifty years ago and earlier, if something bad happened to someone (even if caused by other people, (or being laid off by a failing employer), it was viewed as fate, or "God working in mysterious ways". Religion taught acceptance, self discipline, forgiveness, personal responsibility and moving on with your life. Today, if someone has a bad experience; it becomes a serious fight with lawsuits threatened and people afraid of doing their jobs for fear of getting sued and losing their homes.

Is the personal entitlement philosophy right for the challenges at hand and or for the common good? If we could discipline ourselves to follow the simple rules or value system of the Ten commandments the world would be a easier place to live, grow and prosper.

Everywhere I go I see bumper stickers saying "question authority." It's time to stop questioning rightful authority, stop talking about " my rights" and start talking about "our duties," "our responsibilities," and -- yes -- " our sins." If we don't grow up to the new realities , authority may well be questioned out of existence altogether, and there will be nothing holding us together as a civil society except our creaking, out-of-date legal system..

The Knights of Columbus, as a major fraternal community service organization, has a moral prerogative to get back to its universal core values - particularly that of helping people or family’s in real need. Schisms between traditionalists and progressives must and should heal to get on with the important challenge of delivering “our” core values. Leadership by example will make the difference and inspire a rekindling of respect for true authority and proper governance of “our just” society.-with real hope, real responsibility, and less despair. Faith in simple but enduring values can easily conquer the world’s new complexities.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride, we will all be better off when we get back to our basic values which have always stood or withstood the test of time .

Sieg Holle GK 9262

Where will we be in the next century? What are the benchmarks in the Future?What can we learn from the past? What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1905 And I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years:


The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.

With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home .

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores.
According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

The American flag had 45 stars.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.


Mind Jog - Are you or we as a society, community better off? What Values work?