Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Generation of Today: A Humiliation in History



The Generation of Today: A Humiliation in History

     We are living in a modernized, industrialized, and scientific era with high innovations of technology and ever growing population. We are living in an era where most people in the world are being educated and properly prepared for the fast-paced lifestyle in this ever changing world. We are living in an era where everything comes as a result of our history, civilization, and discovery. But despite all these positive outcomes our world has delved into from the product of history, human intelligence out of curiosity, and constant discovery, we live in an era where the degradation of moral values is becoming more imminent and is slowly accepted by the cultural norms. It is the decrease of the values of today which makes our generation an undesirable humiliation in the history of our world.

     There are three different factors that I think contribute to the qualification and generalization that our generation for today is a humiliation in our world’s history: sexual immorality, language vulgarity, and short-lived marriages. These are the abhorrent and shameful aspects which are prominent in this generation’s lifestyle which are currently fabricated and fashioned to be of acceptance in the cultural norms.

     Sexual Immorality is the most popular activity among the individuals of today, most especially to young adults, adolescents, and teenagers. Media Portrayal could influence the minds of people into thinking that sex could be practiced for everyone out of pleasure and relief, even when the pair doing it is not married to each other.  Films, magazines, the internet, and video games play a big role for the people’s entertainment. Yet, nowadays, these instruments of technology are being abused by the ones creating it. We see films that portray sex life in normality as part of the daily lifestyle of the unmarried characters in the movie. We see magazines showcasing pictures of nudity or nakedness from professional hired models. Porn sites are even prominent in the internet nowadays and the number of videos and pictures uploaded and downloaded in the internet keeps on increasing, with the industry of pornography ever propagating. Video games have been played by gamers for their leisure activity and entertainment. Yet some video games involve sex as part of their strategy and have playable characters with nude or semi-nude appearance. Consequently, most instruments of the people’s entertainment nowadays are slowly involving and entering into the culture of hedonism, where it can satisfy the lustful needs of the people entertained by them, giving immoral pleasure and perverted influence to those who lustfully crave for it.

     There are some effects of which sexual immorality is concerned and could lead people into as a result of their misbehavior and uncontrollable character. Sexual Immorality could induce the increase of teenage pregnancy (as the most particular practitioners involving sexual immorality are the young individuals in their adolescent stage) and the distribution of the different Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Chlamydia, Herpes, and HIV-AIDS, commonly known as the Human Immuno Deficiency Virus – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the most famous Sexually Transmitted Disease which still doesn’t have a cure up to date, are some examples of these diseases) in our generation today. A typical teenage girl could raise a child on her own with or without the support from her parents, depending whether her parents would still accept and forgive her for her immoral deed. People who are sexually active and practice sex with different partners almost every often might have the possibility to become infected by the contagious Sexually Transmitted Diseases which are apparently spreading highly in our generation and in the world of today. Sexual Immorality is still being practiced and accepted in our world’s culture today, with the people fabricating the wicked act and influencing others to do the same.

     Another cause which humiliates our generation is the Language Vulgarity. Nowadays, it is often considered normal when someone adds vulgar words into their own language. This ability of choosing the wrong and despicable words to say degrades one’s own morality by decreasing one’s courtesy, politeness, and proper manners. What cause this wicked taboo to be accepted in today’s culture are the certain portrayals in the media and music.  Films nowadays contain dialogues with uncensored vulgar languages, indicating that it is okay for people to add vulgarity into their language in their lifestyle. Songs nowadays, most especially the rap songs, RnB, and hip-hop songs, contain lyrics that have vulgar language in them which are sung by rappers who are prone to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, and who have a disturbed past. These songs could influence other people to speak vulgar words in their normal and daily lifestyle as they admire the rappers or singers who sing it and became influenced and encouraged to sing the song themselves, verbalizing the lyrics, and eventually become accustomed to say vulgar words all the time.

     People say that adding vulgar words into their own language is considered a form of expression, especially when one has the necessity to release one’s own anger through language vulgarity. I say that it is always immoral to speak in vulgarity. Overall, it decreases one’s own courtesy and manner with the use of vulgar words. Just as the famous philosophical saying goes, “When one does not having anything nice to say, one does not have to speak anything at all.” Speaking vulgar words could stain one’s own moral character and trait.

     The last factor which I think affects our generation is the Short-lived Marriage. Ever since the act of divorce started and was legally propagated, spouses are free to separate themselves from their better half even when both of them are already united and concealed in the sacrament of matrimony. Over time, marriages had been short-lived with the propagation of divorce. When a certain married couple misunderstand each other, they would settle the problem with divorce and completely separate from each other. Some couples could even be influenced by the lifestyle of some depressed and distressed celebrity couples, aiming for divorce in order for them to separate from each other if they do not want, need, and love each other anymore, most especially in Hollywood, influencing and encouraging the public audience and fans alike to do the same as well. A legal separation of both married husband and wife unified by marriage, in my opinion, is not considered to be wrong especially when the both of them completely misunderstand each other and have enraging conflicts which would lead to violent brutality to either or both of them from time to time. But as I see it, most married couples in our generation settle in for divorce even when the problem they have with each other is solvable with a logical solution. The last time I checked, love does not have an expiration date. So I think it is highly and deeply unreasonable and irrational for couples to separate from each other for the reason that their love and need for each other have expired and became non-existent.

     Short-lived marriages will have eventual effects to those affected by it. Short-lived marriages would result into broken families, single parenthood, and would cause psychological effect on the child of the divorced couple. This could be a contributing factor for the decrease in moral values in our world today. Marriage is supposed to be sacred, ordained by God for the husband and the wife to unite with each other in a common bond, to become one with each other for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until their deaths divide them apart from each other, helping and supporting with each other in raising a family, the basic unit of the society. 

     Indeed our generation is humiliating with the moral values of this world slowly diminishing and fading completely out of the minds of individuals who do not care of how proper attitude and cultural norms should be conducted within our world’s society. Everything that happens nowadays could become worse and lethal in the next generations to come. The sustainability of values among the people in our generation is futile and unavailing if people extend and influence their bad habits and wrong characteristics to the younger generations. How then can we exemplify and sustain a valued generation with right values, fundamental beliefs, and good virtues if we practice devious behaviors, incorrect conduct, loathsome lifestyle, and fabricated taboos in continuity in our world’s society? The degradation of cultural values in the global norms of today is entirely evident and fully apparent. It is the decrease of the values of today which makes our generation an undesirable humiliation in the history of our world.