Open Letter to the Elders

* DISCLAIMER *
(Regardless of your age, all ideas and opinions are welcome.)



To my dear and respected Elders,
I humbly pose a question to you, and I will be highly appreciative of your insights.

Question:
"Has the positive aspects of humanity, society, and personal character been on the decline in recent decades?"

For example; honor, respect, dignity, loyalty, patience, courtesy, compassion, truthfulness, keeping your word and promises, responsibility, respect for elders, etc.


All around me I see immoral sexual behavior. In my personal opinion, immoral sexual behavior includes having multiple sex partners, being too easy or promiscuous, and cheating on their "significant other." The type of behavior leading to teenage parenthood, parenthood out of wedlock, and having several different fathers/mothers to their children out of wedlock.

I see many teenagers and young adults that do not understand responsibility. Always making excuses for their life, and never any proactive ideas or actions to fix it.

• Respecting Elders:
(Talking more about this point, because it really concerns me.)

I see young people that do no respect their elders. They are just as likely to cuss at, threaten, or hurt their elders as they would someone their own age. In regards to elders they say, "I'll respect them if they respect me." My family taught the lesson, "If they [elders] say something you don't like, keep your mouth shut! Don't argue with them and do what you can to help them and be kind to them."

When I see elderly people driving, walking around, or even working, I see younger people become impatient with them. They do not help elders by the simplest things even as holding doors. I think to myself, "Poor old lady driving, I feel bad for her because instead of her being a bad driver and stressing out with slow reaction time, it's her children's fault! They should be there driving her, or going to the store for her." "I'm not going to rush this old man at the store, I understand he isn't young or energetic anymore."

I see young people throwing their parents and grandparents into nursing homes. Leave them their to only visit occasionally or when it's convenient. Leave them there to die. Man... the way I see it, my parents fed me and took care of me during my infant years when I was 100% fully vulnerable. Because of them I didn't die as a defenseless and helpless baby. I owe them that same courtesy when they are helpless from old age to go to the restroom on their own, or change their Depends adult diapers for them. As long as you don't have dirtbag parents that were physically or sexually abusive, you're supposed to love, honor, and respect them above all others!

Young people do not even consider the words or lessons from their elders. I hear, "It's my life, they can't tell me anything!" I believe elders (on average lol) are more wise than me, because they've "been there, done that," and have more life experience. Maybe I don't follow their words each time, but I respect and consider their words.



Some of my peers (mid 20's to early 30's) tell me this is normal, I just never noticed because when I was young the world seems innocent. All of the negativity is only now apparent because I am growing up now.

Is this true, or is society undergoing an ethical and moral degradation?

immoral sexual behavior? this has been going on since the 60's. It's just business as usual. I don't condone or condemn it since I no doubt have my own questionable behaviors. As long as you aren't being forced to watch or participate, why do you care?

But it's another day on ATS and another open letter

reply to post by Electric Crown


Out of the whole OP you can only comment on the immoral sexual part? You actually took it out of context. Maybe it's my fault in that I did not articulate the idea better. My apologies.

The OP is in regards to the elders' view of younger people. So in the immoral sex part, I'm talking about the norms of today:

• "I am an unmarried teenage parent."
• "I have several different fathers/mothers to my children out of wedlock."



The Forum description is:
General Chit Chat: Talk About Anything Really. A Place To Make Posts Of An Unrelated Nature

I created this thread with the correct criteria for this sub-forum. If you don't like "open letters" then don't read it or go to the other topic sections of ATS/BTS. You should be more encouraging of people instead of demeaning. May peace be upon you.

Of course the existence of this thread
is an offence to the new generation by it's very existance and must be destroyed.

No one likes someone who is right, but to state it openly without shame is the highest crime.

And that brings us to the current generation and what _they_ consider crimes.

It's simple.
Lawyers obfusicate the language of law
but still expect everyone to agree "ignorance is no excuse"

For generations this has been solved by socially teaching us the law through marriage customs.

Rightfully this new generation has taken the law out of love,
and they love whom they want, freely and without judgement.

The problem arises when one realizes the threw out 'The Law' with the bath water.
Now we can't mention anything like tradition, respect, or honor (all code words for dumbed down versions of real law) without the new generation getting all in a tizzy over their sexual liberties being taken away.

All in all this has been very good buisness for Lawyers,
and the battle if firmly trapped between generations,
where the lawyers can watch from saftey.

I suggest the OP will get more traction
if one accuses the new generation of making up rules and laws
about what is ok in their sexual practices. Didn't we _just_ shed all the rules?
Why are they going backwards. Do the lawyers pay them to argue against their own families?

Anything other than demistifying the existing marriage laws,
and the language they are written in is not going to clarify the issue.
Accusing the new generation of immorality is not going to clarify any legal issues either.


David Grouchy

reply to post by davidgrouchy


I'm not sure if I fully understood your position. So would you say it is no big deal that teenagers are having children while still attending highschool? That these kids are doing so with no cares of responsibility?

Let everyone have unstable lives for their children, it's ok they can leech welfare and child support for the rest of their lives! Why let them become dependent on hand-outs, why not teach responsibility? Besides economic issues, what about the children without sometimes knowing who their real fathers are? What about the young girls that messed around, had children by different fathers, is now single because none of the fathers were serious relationships, wants a "real" relationship, and has trouble finding someone willing to take in her children?

Yeah, people make it work everyday through odds, but what about the rise in divorce rates?

I hope this thread doesn't get hung up on just the sex part. I really put some good emotion into the "respecting elders" part.

reply to post by Sahabi


It's hard for me to say if things have indeed gotten worse, if what your friend says is true (that we don't notice it when we're younger) because I too am older now. Interesting concept, that! Sort of like being a participant negates our objectivity on the matter. Star & Flag for exercising my brain with that paradox!

But if your friend is wrong about it being just a matter of perspective, I'd have to say yes, disrespect for elders seems to be on the rise. I've worked in elementary and middle schools for years. There are still those kids who are a joy to behold. The beligerent ones, on the other hand, those who are as ego-centric as any two-year old, seem to be growing in number and intensity!

I thought it was clear.

Elders are not respected because
in the minds of the new generation we
represent the old, the bad, the 'to-be-forgotten.'

Accusing them of immorality just confirms this false view.

This new generation believes in their very TV generated souls that
it's ok to _see_ an elder, once in a while, but they should never be _heard_.


David Grouchy

Originally posted by Sahabi
reply to post by davidgrouchy

 

I'm not sure if I fully understood your position.

Yeah, I'm either too sleepy or it needs editing.
I can't figure out which side he's 'debating.'
But he took the time to say a lot, so he's passionate about it!

I cant understand the confusion with some people about this post.

Yes i think todays young people are out of line. Ive been taught to respect my elders also and i do.

When i was young we didnt go around throwing full beer bottles at onto cars driving on the motorway.

When i was young me and my friends used to make tree houses and be out all the time.

We got into trouble of cos, but we never crossed the line.

Now most kids are playing games that you can kill and old man or lady or young girl, boy, anyone....
They can kill, rob, beat, cuss etc

I speak alot with my elders and back in the day TV just wasnt there lol

My grandmother for example grew up in the Spanish Franco era.

They had very little. They were 8 children.

My grandmother said those were the best years of her life as a family. There wasnt so much # back then.

Of cos there was WAR here and a Dictator, alot of my family suffered from prison even assasination.

The Elders know the value of life, whilst the young think they know.

Im in my late 20s im not that old.........

When I was growing up, we didn't have the violence that you see today. We had some, but nothing like today. We had bullies in schools, but nothing like you see today with guns and knives and high rates of suicides. Elders were always respected. Now you see elders being robbed or hurt in broad daylight. At one time you could walk at night and feel relatively safe, now...forget about it.

When I was growing up we didn't have computers. We intereacted with each other and used our imaginations. Families were closer. There wern't as many blood and gore and violent movies and games.

My elderly mother is still able to live on her but she is in the apartment below mine. I do her laundry and help with whatever she needs help with, otherwise she would be in a nursing home. I promised her I would never let that happen.