BETWEEN THE LINES: Knowledge without morality is worthless endeavor
The solution to our economic, political and social woes does not lie in the halls of Congress, the White House or local and state governments, but in the hearts of the citizens.
Since retiring in June, I have been on a quest to find solutions that can reverse the dangerous course our country is traveling out of concern for my children, grandchildren and the general welfare of America.
Having taught in the state’s public school system for the past six years, I can attest to the fact that moral values have deteriorated since I left the teaching profession in 1980 to enter the insurance business. Cheating is not only rampant, but all too often is not viewed as morally wrong.
While the state agencies continue to focus on achievement evaluation and parity with state tests such as the Texas Assessment of Knowledge Skills, or TAKS, and the recently introduced State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, I wish to pose this question: What value is knowledge without morality to support it?
In our efforts to be politically correct, we have quietly sat by and allowed our judicial system to remove God from the public square with nary a whimper.
Our Founding Fathers, even those who were not particularly religious, understood democracy cannot properly function in the absence of a moral electorate. Our economic dilemma in reality is a moral one in which the driving force is greed and self-interest and politicians and corporations enter partnerships to benefit one another.
I am reading two books by Richard J. Wetherill that offer a solution to our crisis. Our children’s moral failures are not their fault. Youngsters imitate what they see. With the availability of today’s technology, they certainly do not live sheltered lives. The author’s thesis in the first of these books, "Be Right or Go Wrong," is quite simple — right action gets right results. Conversely, its corollary is wrong action gets wrong results. He refers to this as the law of absolute right, which he contends is a natural law as opposed to those laws promulgated by people.
Society often looks for complex solutions to problems when more often than not, the real answers are quite simple but difficult to implement because they require individual sacrifice.
The author begins by stating people exhibit strong tendencies to escape personal responsibility because they mistakenly believe they are free to act as they wish. The results of such flawed thinking can be read daily in newspapers or seen on the nightly news.
In the second of Wetherill’s books, "Right is Might," the passionate author reminds his readers that right will eventually prevail because one of the most important lessons history has taught us is the forces of right ultimately triumph in every long struggle.
The author starts by writing, “Too few people recognize the connection between their wrongs and the trouble that they cause.” Although the sociologist is a Christian, he contends this natural law of behavior can be accepted without faith in a supreme being.
Wetherill will concur with the old adage that honesty is the best policy and add it is the only way to fix our human problems. Just think what a better world this would be if more people lived honest lives and told the truth?
This process must begin one person at a time. If children observe honesty in the lives of those who surround them, they will be prone to follow in those footsteps.
Before his death in 1989, Wetherill believed change could take place if our priorities changed. For my children’s and grandchildren’s sakes, I hope he is right. In the interim, Christians will take solace that God is near. He has not abandoned us and is ready to comfort us in our trials and tribulations.
Those interested in reading all of Wetherill’s books can access them free of charge at http://alphapub.com.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 12 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, email ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.