Discipline

As a child I was exposed to ample discipline, much of it unnecessary and some of it bordering the sadistic. I could blame the corporeal zeal of the early 1950's or the Catholic nuns but it was really our grandparents that set that woodshed mentality. My father quit all spanking when he finally had daughters. As a result we became reactionaries rather than revolutionaries by letting our kids get away with murder. Now nobody hits or yells under the threat of abusive behavior. Parents act just as bad as their monsters and evil children are lucky to get a two minute time out from their punishing reign of terror. Consequence should not require the presence of a stick. Responsibility should be apparent in every choice. How hard is it to be polite?

We wrongly assumed banks, businesses and reasonable adults to be self-regulating. Allan Greenspan thought the entire economy to be omniscient. How often did I hear him say, "Let the markets decide?" What a silly old man. Immense wealth coupled with profit and greed as motivators indicates some oversight and regulation may be in order.

We freely gave politicians celebrity status and our trust even when our long history tells us they will be corrupt, philandering and self-involved. We feign astonishment and disbelief when they fall like dominoes into the darkness of their own making and then we forgive their sins and terrible behavior. Blogojevich isn't in jail, Mark Sanford is still governor and Charlie Rangel is a powerful member of congress. Poor schmucks are thrown in prison for smoking a joint and the robber barons laugh all the way to the bank because they live in a world void of repercussions.

We all are fast with the pointing finger and willing to toss a few stones but what of our own culpability and sense of shame? Derision has become public sport. The tea party can't be taken seriously because they are silly and selfish and honorable men find themselves serving ignominious causes because our leaders dared to make patriotism a fiction and a farce.

Do we all need a Super Nanny to follow us around? Who will take responsibility for all this bad behavior? Teachers bring a child to task only to face the wrath of rude parents. Adults excuse their lumpish conduct with 'I'm busy' as if that was a valid allowance. The wealthy hire professional liars. Businesses a public relations firm and the president a bastion of spin doctors. What shameful behavior.

Since we know nothing but to be reactionary I expect the heavy handed nuns to reappear. In high school the recalcitrant were treated to a wrestling match with the hulking homosexual Dean of Men. Shall we bring back Cheney to be in charge of tortuous discipline? Individually, we must be moral accountants, reestablish our sense of shame and by all means teach these children to be polite.

Give the good dog a treat and the bad dog a beat. Unrelenting affection works better. Kids can't get off the ground if you are sitting on them, you've got to lift them up. Teachers, parents and mentors must be exemplar and this is a difficult thing to do. How can we bring up the next generation when we aspire to instant gratification and all the meaningless baubles and bling of crass materialism? Society is in need of a moral overhaul. Political realignments and policy adjustments will never do, the change must come from within each and every individual. The messiah may be our own common sense.