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Ambouodor Col/ego
Pholos
CONFUSED PRIORITIES -
Too mony in our society ridicule the "Estab–
lishment" ond its problems, yet screom for the legolizotion of morijuono,
come out in support of lowbreokers ond seem vnconcerned with world
problems which grovely affect their notion.
the view that the United States was a
"sick society."
Hopefully, even
more
than forty–
two perccnt recognize this decpening
malaise today.
A spokesman for Gallup, who con–
ductcd the poU, said those who think
the nation
i~
sick offered reasons of two
types, causes and symptoms, such as the
amount of rioting and killing, lack
of sufficient law enforcement, laxity
of courts, breakdown in morals, shun–
ning of rcligion, poor upbringing, lack
of individual initiativc, and general
selfishness.
The fifty-two percent who rejected
the idea that their society is sick said
only a "small number of individuals are
to blamc for crime," too much publicity
is given to crime, and "society is no
worse than it was in the past." They
said the Un ited States is no worse than
other countries, and society is not sick,
but merely confused.
In anothcr poli by the
Long Beach
Press TelegNtm,
severa! people wcre
asked the question, "Do we live in a
sick society ?" A rnodel answered,
"1
don't know about other people; l'm not.
If
people are happy doiog their own
thing, that's up to them."
An electrician's comment was, "There's
nothing wrcJOg with society as a
whole." In answering the samc gucs-
tion, "Do we Ji ve in a sick society
?"
a
college student flatly stated, "I don't
think so. Oh, you find an occasional
dud in society, but gcncrally things are
just getting more modero." A laborer's
view was, "No. Society is no different
now than ever.
If
anything it's bet–
ter...." Finally, an uncmployed man
asked. "What's wrong with it [society]
?"
Such delightfully uninformed eupho–
ria rnay at least bring noninvolved
tranquility to those holding such a hazy
view - but the facts are otherwise.
During the decade of thc 60's, while
populat ion rose
1
Lperccnt, crime soared
122
pcrcent! Arrests in
1968
for drug
violations were over four times as high
as in
1960.
Arrests of youths increased
during the same period 78 percent,
while the
mnnber
of pcrsons in the age
group rose only 25 percent.
About fifteen-and-a-half thousand
Americans were
nwrdered
10
1970,
alone.
Those who
deny
thc grisly statis–
tics are simply uninforrned and living
in their own dream world, where noth–
ing is really true, until it touches their
own personal livcs.
So,
while our deadly character drain
continues, millions play a childish game
of "make-believe," pretending all is
well, and wc're not rcally much worse
than we ever were.
And this - this blind refusal to
acknowledge our moral and spiritual
poverty - is the worst sickness of all.
No Transcendental
Goal
Our people don't know
what
they are
- nor where they're going. Wc havc
no common
goal.
This is a time when history's strong–
est single nation should be leading the
world
ottl
of its terrible troubles, show–
ing the world
how lo iit•e,
the
u·ay to
peace,
the
tra; lo happinen,
the
wa;
to
the really
good
life,
NOT
just materially,
but qualitatively. But instead of
responding to this greatest of d1allenges
and discovcring the real
SOLUTIONS
to
this world's problcms, our people secm
determined to degenerate into a looscly
knit agglomcration of self-seekers,
engaged in a last frenzy of personal
entertainmcnt, interrupted only
by
tcm–
per tantrurns against our own obnoxious
environment.
We are losing
CHARACTER.
And character results from a strong
scnse of
¡no·pose
-
a
goal.
Unlcss a
person is striving
lo11Jard
something,
he'll lack thc drive and initiative to
forego
debi litating, passing pleasures.
Unless he is inspired
by
a great
CAUSE,
he'll lack the willingness to
sacrifice
foc
that cause.
Character is the ability to determine
the right from the wrong, and then to
force
thc self to
choose
the right. But
such a decision would never be made
unless there were a desircd result
stcmming from such choice.
Today, our people bave no grand,
global, historical rnission which they
feel obligated to fulfill. We're not sure
who, or what, we are, not sure what our
place
in this world should be, and not
sure what líes ahead.
Wc have no great, supranational,
transcendental
GOAL
that pushes us on,
that unites us, that inspires us, that
causes us to sacrifice.
While millions comfort themselves,
pursuing their own selfish interests, the
nation disintegrates. Powerful forces
within the nation seek protection from
the very laws of the nation they scck to
destroy. Disruptive elemeots scck to
create chaos, disorder, and violencc
(Conthmed on page 48)