In today’s society, it is unusual to find a person with a firm set of personal morals. Most people will obey the laws of the land, because there are penalties for not doing so. However, if a situation arises wherein they can enrich themselves by a dishonest act, without being found out, most people will take advantage of it. There is a truism that states,”Your true character is disclosed by how you conduct yourself when nobody’s watching.”

We often read news stories about an ordinary citizen who found a large sum of money and either turned it in to police, or returned it to the lawful owner. Why should this merit coverage in the press? If it was expected behavior, it wouldn’t be news. The sad fact is that most people would take the money and run, if they were sure no one had seen them.

The drastic decline in personal morality is evident in our young people. It has become normal to be sexually active at an ever-younger age, and to move from partner to partner partaking in a smorgasbord of promiscuity. You seldom hear of formal marriage ceremonies and “my partner” seems to have replaced “my wife” or “my husband” when the young couple decide to live together.

Among older couples, half of marriages end in divorce. Perhaps this is part of the reason young people are afraid of commitment. Where are their role models? Politicians, entertainers, executives, everyone they look up to, everyone who seems important in modern society, has had multiple spouses, or currently has a live-in friend. Even Charles, heir-apparent to the throne of England, moved Camilla into his residence long before their wedding.

In financial matters too, evidence of personal morality is rare. Top executives of large corporations are transported to prison, charged with defrauding shareholders. Religious leaders are under investigation for using congregations’ donations to enjoy lavish lifestyles. The rich and famous in society live in extravagant decadence while many of their fellow human beings, homeless and hungry, sleep on the heating grates in the streets.

Sports heroes, singers, and movie stars abuse drugs and alcohol. Rehabilitation centers are a growth industry. Elected government leaders who lie, steal public funds, or conduct scandalous liaisons in public washrooms, are free to return to their post as if nothing had happened. Personal morality, if not completely eliminated, is a rare commodity indeed in today’s society.

How can this unhappy situation be remedied? We need to return to our roots, to find again the virtues and values that were important to our forefathers, and upon which this country was built: religion, family, honesty, and honor. If we fail to reverse the downward trend in morality soon, the results will be severe. Many mighty empires have fallen, because internal decay made them easy prey for enemies. The democracies of North America can yet achieve a better fate.