We Live In A Broken Society
We live in a broken society and it is evident by the number of men, both young and old lost to violence, babies born to single and teen mothers, and by the number of women selling their bodies to make ends meet. The use of drugs and alcohol has become a fashion statement, and the value of life is lessened with every other generation.
Foundational Changes
Society has changed, and gone are the days when a man would be his brother’s keeper, lend a helping hand to his neighbor, or simply come together for a worthy cause. We use to honor people who did the right thing, respected those who worked hard to achieve success, and admired those who set good examples. We once cherished purity and innocence, respected wedding bells, and had big dreams of having our own family with a dog or a cat.
As a people, we once looked to God, found refuge in the church, and sought advice from pastors or members of the Christian faith. For many families and individuals going to church on Saturday or Sunday mornings was a normal way of life, as the church was seen as the moral compass of society and a place of redemption.
But oh, how we have fallen.
Social Changes
Life was once predicated on wholesome ideologies. Men and women were filled with hope, love, family values, education, ambition, and dreams. As human beings, we have a natural inclination to evolve and progress by finding or providing a better life than we are currently privy to. We had visions of a better and technological tomorrow.
In creating a better life, we made things easier. We became more technological as well as we unintentionally ushered in a social pandemic. We changed definitions, which resulted in what was once seen as good, now viewed as an outdated way of thinking or living. We traded moral values and principles for material wealth and social acceptance. These are the cracks in the armor that caused societies globally to break.
Gender Roles Distortion
The true pandemic that ravages the world is not the Coronavirus, even though the virus itself has altered our way of living and have taken some lives. However, the true pandemic that eats at the core of our society is a gender identity crisis.
Most males and females are confused about their roles in society as it relates to our gender. The image of what a man is and what a woman is, have been drastically mis-screwed from our original role.
The role of a man is to be a leader, not an overlord. A man is supposed to protect and provide for his family, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. In taking the oath, a man is supposed to love, cherish, and take care of his wife. When it comes to fatherhood, the greatest testament of a man is not being a biological progenitor, but to be a father that trains and guides his children to carry on what he started.
The role of a woman is to be a helpmeet (partner), not a sex object. A woman is supposed to be an encourager and supporter for her family, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. In the same light of taking the oath, a woman is supposed to respect, honor, and be a comfort to her husband. In regards to motherhood, the greatest testament of a woman is when she brings forth a new life, nurtures her young, and watch that individual blossom into someone great.
Society 6 killers
The roles of a man and woman should come naturally to us all as it is gender-coded in our DNA. Unfortunately, because of the effects of WWII, Morality changes, the decay of the family structure, the lack of church presence in the neighborhoods, and Broadcast media are all accomplices in why many men and women have lost what should come naturally.
World War II is the first infraction in what helped to diminish our society simply because, after this war took place, gender roles were redefined. When the surviving men returned home from war, there were no jobs for them. Women had become the new breadwinners, as they ran the factories. This change resulted in a disposition for the surviving men and a loss in identity.
How to be a man? When you are not the breadwinner and/ or don’t even have a job? This is the grappling question that haunted these men and probably is the same question that haunts some men today. Historically men of that age, identified and prided themselves on the ability to provide for their families. When these men lost their title as breadwinner, it snowballed into a lot of problems we have today. These men were like a fish out of water and didn’t know how to function. Some of these men left their homes, some turned to the bottle, and others abused their wives and children physically, verbally, and psychologically.
(Abuse don’t only affect present victim/s but the effects of abuse reach or extends to generations after.)
The conclusion of war may result in freedom for some or be a noble cause that benefits the entire world. But whether or not a war is won or lost, the results of war gives birth to many fatherless homes. The lack of fathers in the home destroys future generations.
Morality changes is the cluster bomb that denigrated our society by introducing new mindsets that seemingly convey ideologies that are more logical, modern, accepting, and liberal.
Eg.1 Back in the day, if a man got a woman pregnant and she wasn’t his wife, he had to do the honorable thing and marry that woman. That man had to own up to his responsibilities and take care of his wife and child.
Nowadays you don’t have to be married to have a family or be under the same roof to take care of a child. The error of this new modern way of life is the reason we have so many fatherless homes and etc.
Eg.2 In the days of yesteryear women conducted themselves like ladies and everything wasn’t on display. Today this has changed drastically, especially with the emergence of smartphones.
Now we have a generation of young men who only view women as sex objects and a generation of young women who relegate themselves to that portrayal of being a sex object.
These examples aren’t the only measuring sticks that can show us how much we have changed as a society. We have unintentionally traded honor for dishonor. We once helped each other, now we compete against each other and for some people by any means necessary to get ahead. Today, these types of people that would have been considered despicable, some years back, are now the ones currently being praised and considered go-getters. While the widely spread notion “Nice guys finish last” is being taught.
Moral changes have even affected our electorial process. The way things are setup now, the winner of an election usually wins by dogging his or her opponent vs the intention of fixing the issuses. We have lost our sense of community. We once cared for each other and didn’t merely mind our own business or destroy our fellow man.
The decay of the family structure speaks for itself. The results of fathers not being in the home have wreaked havoc on the psyche of many fatherless adolescents for decades. Fathers not present in the home is a significant problem because children need training and guidance. It is the role of the father to provide security and guidance. When the man isn’t in place, the woman has to take on that role. If the female is doing the male job and her job, the children will be affected emotionally and psychologically. If the mother is out working and the father is nowhere to be found, the question is, who is protecting the children, showing them love and or is mentoring them? Is it the street, television, someone with a warped mindset, or a drug addict. Television may be the worst one as it encompasses all these negative mentors, including the promotion and celebration of promiscuity.
The lack of church presence in the neighborhoods is equivalent to internal bleeding. The blunt trauma that affects society is the seeming absence of the church. The church is tasked with being the moral gatekeepers of society, and lately, churches have seemingly gone silent. Looking at society and all its ailments, it is evident that the church is needed in a mighty way. Churches, now more than ever, need to follow the example of Christ Jesus (Yeshua) and spend less time in those four walls and more time with people who are in need of spiritual guidance, positive influence, morality checks, and love.
The media is the most impactful source of denigration that continues to hack at society, through broadcast media such as television and radio in regards to its far reach. By itself, television and radio are not bad, but we must be careful about what we are allowing to enter our minds and the minds of the young and impressionable. The danger in broadcast media is the repetition of the message, visually and audibly. Repetition is the key to learning. Repetition transition information from the conscious to the subconscious; in other words, repetition is the equivalent to the old saying “practice makes perfect“. When you achieve that perfect state, it manifests itself into something greater, known as second nature. Second nature is the tendency of behavior that becomes characteristic or instinctive. So, if you, your kids, and those around you, are being influenced by broadcast media which promotes violence, promiscuity, homosexuality/alternative lifestyles, crime, the usage of drugs and alcohol, etc, then there is no wonder why we live in a society that resembles that message, agenda or negativity.
Ask yourself, is there a connection with what’s on broadcast media and society? More in particular to Tv shows and music.
Our society is broken because we lost our way and identity. We lost our values and humanity. We traded our morality for immorality and as a result, we are left with a society that produces men and women that are directionless, disrespectful, lawless, confused, lewd, and self-inflicted drug users. As we identify these reasons why our society is broken, let’s not despair for there is hope and we can fix this.
Please be on the lookout for part II of this blog which will be entitled around the headline (Repairing our broken Society.)
This blog is in memory of Lavard Mckenzie
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