What happened to respect?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed the change in society over the past ten years or so. It almost seems like morals and values have really gone out of the window. Here in the UK I can go shopping and will receive no more than a grunt from the cashier. There is no “hello, how are you?” no please or thank you and my change is literally thrown into my hand. I haven’t even got my belongings together before the next customers shopping is being thrown down the conveyor belt.
Walking down the road seems to be an “all eyes to the floor” job, because a lot of the time if eye contact is made with another person, particularly younger people, you receive a mouthful of obscenities. No one seems to have any patience or respect for the elderly. Far too many gun and knife crimes are happening.
I’m often amazed at the manners, or lack of, of children. No one seems to respect one another anymore. Everyone seems to be out for themselves. Society has changed so much from the close knit communities I remember as a child. It’s almost like society got to a cross roads and took a wrong turn.
I’ve just been wondering how we can impact people in a positive way to find the right path again. Is it just through loving them and showing people respect and courtesy and thus hoping this will rub off on them and have a ripple effect within the community. Or is there much more than that? What is missing? Or has society come to far to be able to go back now?
I don’t know what your experiences are where you live, but I really feel the UK is on a dangerous downhill spiral at the moment.
communities, morals and valuesabout
Posted on July 3, 2008
Posted by lynhallewell
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It differs in the US depending on where you are…generally friendlier in smaller towns than in larger ones…but overall I’d say we’re trending the same way.
I think this is what happens when 1)you don’t teach respect, citizenship and personal responsibility to the next generation; and 2)people start believing that truth and morality are relative.
Definitely, and what we have seen through this lack of teaching and belief is that every person is definitely out for themselves.
I found this article really interesting the other day http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7484282.stm It’s by one of the main news anchors here and talks about the values that used to be installed in society through mass attendance of Sunday school, that are now missing today. I’m not advocating that every child should go to Sunday school, but years gone by it definitely had a positive influence.
Hi Lyn,
Yes I feel the UK needs a whole lotta love and help! I think people act disrespectful or treat people badly for many reasons. It could be simply how someone was raised, which could then just spiral throughout the family in like a continuation effect. Also it could be that they need love and kindness shown to them. Talking of a shop situation - how many cashiers get the brunt of a complaint or unhappy customer who may indeed be rude themselves. Not saying two wrongs make a right but this could make them down or bitter or just sad that day. Finally I think that they could just be hurting. Has something happened in their lives to make them feel this way and they perhaps don’t have God to help them through or turn to so they turn away. Or they do know about God but they shun him?…very interesting, thanks for sharing this. I have been thinking a lot about the misrepresentation of Christ recently and how people treat other people.