Moral. Integrity. Honesty. Decency. Courtesy. Loyalty. These are not mere words; not ineffable concepts. These are values. And a large portion of the modern generation, have corroded its definition into oblivion.
Society is enthralled by the prospects of 'coolitude'. The mirage of perfection, beauty and excitement is essentially just that - a mirage. A shallow masquerade, snidely hiding its artificiality. We're shrouded by glitzy lives and monetary gains, decorated with baubles of drama and warped morals. We celebrate these characters on the golden screen and newspaper spreads; place these idols on a pedestal of our own manufactured downfall. They are ravishing, rich, talented, smart, but are they - good?
Much of society seems to have forgotten the meaning of humility. Much, not all. It's become so much so that agendas like infidelity, stealing and backstabbing is regarded as normal. We are jaded with the thought of crime. We think drugs are cool, booze is awesome, a beautiful toned body is essential. We escape from reminders that being polite is cool, helping others is awesome and staying healthy is essential. We are honed to our individualistic needs, hungry for awed stature, power and perhaps, popularity. 'He's out of the running? Great, more chance for me'. We fail to see that these concepts have depth, that they are not the prize, but merely an ornament for winning.
What happened to applauding chivalry, to honouring civility? Do they now exist only in fables? In the storybooks we read as children? The true value of being good and kindhearted has somehow been lost. On the contrary, within some circles, mocked. 'You are such a pussy dude, play hard to get will you?' These terms are more often associated with weakness, suckups, pushovers. It's not cool. But the truth of the matter is, it is, very cool. There is a failure to see that the term cool, the term different, does not always mean good. The best ones, they do not chase to be cool, to stand out from the crowd. The best ones, they strive to be better.
I'm not trying to chastise, to start a revolution of transforming people into saint-like Disney characters overnight. But being better, it's not rocket science. It's the little things. It's the sincere compliments. It's the pleases and thank yous. It's calling someone up to check how they are, not because you need something from them. When was the last time you refrained from gossiping, the last time you were not late, the last time you chose to do something right? Stop wasting life with temporary gains. There is a certain level of principle and decency that you should always try to possess. This decency marks man's worth, separates him from animalistic hostility. In effect, from being a stupid idiot.
This goes out to me too; as a constant, reminder to not end up as a stupid idiot.
Society is enthralled by the prospects of 'coolitude'. The mirage of perfection, beauty and excitement is essentially just that - a mirage. A shallow masquerade, snidely hiding its artificiality. We're shrouded by glitzy lives and monetary gains, decorated with baubles of drama and warped morals. We celebrate these characters on the golden screen and newspaper spreads; place these idols on a pedestal of our own manufactured downfall. They are ravishing, rich, talented, smart, but are they - good?
Much of society seems to have forgotten the meaning of humility. Much, not all. It's become so much so that agendas like infidelity, stealing and backstabbing is regarded as normal. We are jaded with the thought of crime. We think drugs are cool, booze is awesome, a beautiful toned body is essential. We escape from reminders that being polite is cool, helping others is awesome and staying healthy is essential. We are honed to our individualistic needs, hungry for awed stature, power and perhaps, popularity. 'He's out of the running? Great, more chance for me'. We fail to see that these concepts have depth, that they are not the prize, but merely an ornament for winning.
What happened to applauding chivalry, to honouring civility? Do they now exist only in fables? In the storybooks we read as children? The true value of being good and kindhearted has somehow been lost. On the contrary, within some circles, mocked. 'You are such a pussy dude, play hard to get will you?' These terms are more often associated with weakness, suckups, pushovers. It's not cool. But the truth of the matter is, it is, very cool. There is a failure to see that the term cool, the term different, does not always mean good. The best ones, they do not chase to be cool, to stand out from the crowd. The best ones, they strive to be better.
I'm not trying to chastise, to start a revolution of transforming people into saint-like Disney characters overnight. But being better, it's not rocket science. It's the little things. It's the sincere compliments. It's the pleases and thank yous. It's calling someone up to check how they are, not because you need something from them. When was the last time you refrained from gossiping, the last time you were not late, the last time you chose to do something right? Stop wasting life with temporary gains. There is a certain level of principle and decency that you should always try to possess. This decency marks man's worth, separates him from animalistic hostility. In effect, from being a stupid idiot.
This goes out to me too; as a constant, reminder to not end up as a stupid idiot.
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