What's Going On?

Is it just me, or does it seem that there is more craziness in this country than ever before? I don't know if it's because communication is so much better than it used to be and thus we hear about it more, or if it's real, but it seems to me that more and more people are becoming unhinged.

Men killing their wives and children, a nut case shooting an abortion doctor, an old extremist shooting people at the Holocaust Museum - these are just some of the cases in the news lately.

I think mental instability is more widespread than it used to be and, of course, I have a theory about why this is the case. It's a real irony that in this day and age of instant communications, more people are out of touch with each other. E-mail, texting, tweeting and Facebook are not good substitutions for real human interaction. It allows us to stay in touch, but on a much more superficial level than previously. As a consequence, I think more people feel isolated and alienated from their neighbors and fail to develop real bonds within their communities.

Another important factor that shouldn't be ignored is the increasing secularization of our society. I believe humans have an inherent need to develop their spirituality, and I know from experience that belief in God can be a source of great strength in hard times. If one doesn't have this support, what happens when hard times come, as they inevitably will? It seems many people don't have the inner resources to deal with adversity.

I can remember a time when there was such a thing as "community standards". The majority of people tried to behave appropriately, respected behavioral boundaries and shunned those who didn't. Now, liberals preach that we shouldn't be judgmental, but we all form judgements about people and their behavior. If we have a "don't judge" mentality about everything, we have chaos.

I hope and pray that we can find our way back to having standards of decency and good behavior. Some will think this is unrealistic, but I'm an optimist and above all, I have faith in God. With Him, all things are possible.