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A MORAL COMPASS RANKS WITH JOBS
from Worcester telegram and Gazette, July 7, 1993
On April 13th of this year The Hartford Courant published an overdue apology to Thomas Jefferson on the occasion of his 250th birthday for the venomous attacks it made on him during the presidential election of 1800. The Courant, acknowledging that it is never too late to admit a mistake, recognized that Jefferson was a good influence on America and claimed that if he were around in 1992 it would have championed his candidacy.
This endorsement highlights the abysmal state of American values, and acknowledges the positive role of Jeffersonian ideals. As predicted by The Courant of 1800, we are a nation beset with crimes as our foundation of morals and values crumble. If a nation survives on the strengths of its three pillars of faith in God, country and family then it is the America of 1993 and not Jefferson's America that is in jeopardy of collapse.
BLINDERS
Americans are unable to make a fair assessment of contemporary events because we allow our vision to be limited by ideological blinders. Extremists on the left advocate the liberal agenda of expanding civil liberties while their counterparts on the right see everything through the conservative prism of law, order and control. Perhaps, if we could look at our nation with an I.O.U. (impartial, objective, unbiased) view, we could make an honest assessment of the present state of affairs.
How can we deny that Americans committed over two million violent crimes against each other last year? We live in a society where handguns, deadly weapons, drugs and violence have become an accepted part of American life. Our inner cities have become battlefields with warring youth gangs laying siege to our neighborhoods.
In 1993, we say to our youth that it is unconstitutional to say the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, but it is constitutional to burn it; it is unconstitutional to say a prayer or to have a moment of reflective silence in our public schools even though this nation was founded on the belief in a Supreme Being, and we are still "one nation under God."
RESPONSIBILITIES
We are fully versed in the rights accorded to us by the Constitution, but not in the responsibilities inherent in all of us who live in a democratic society. The Second Article of the Bill of Rights states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Are we to believe that the founding fathers were giving us the right to arm ourselves to the teeth with AK-47 assault rifles, and every variety of lethal weapon, including Mel Gibson's Hollywood-glamorized 9mm Beretta? Have we become so numb to this "wild West" violence that we accept the sight of metal detectors in our schools, airports and courthouses? Are we so obsessed with our rights and so oblivious to our responsibilities that we no longer know the difference between right and wrong?
Ironically, it is the teachings of Thomas Jefferson that may help us reverse the further erosion of our nation's values. When he said, "Teach responsibility - they'll teach themselves the rest" he was offering the alternative to a view of life that is fed to us from Hollywood, Wall Street and Madison Avenue.
A generation of Americans are void of any moral rudder on the uncharted and turbulent seas of life. It is not a question of "whose values" are to be taught. It is more a question of having some values, any values, that show us that there is a difference between right and wrong. It is time to stop being the victim and to accept the responsibility for charting a course through the calm waters of ethical living.
As the director of the city manager's Office of Employment and Training, I have designed programs that in some small part address this moral vacuum. All 1,700 youth who participate in our Summer program also participate in a diversified curriculum of life coping skills, including nonviolent conflict resolution and gang avoidance. We have found these youths gain invaluable insights into the difficult choices confronting them. Furthermore, youth and adults who enroll in our year-round programs have found that the lessons of responsibility, knowing the difference between right and wrong, refusing to be a victim and having compassion for others are the most important ingredients in determining success.
This year I am working with the Thomas Jefferson Center for Character Education to add an intensified life coping curriculum, titled "Skills for Responsible Living," which teaches the basic principles of ethical decision-making. While this program does not teach what is right or wrong, it does teach that there is a right and a wrong.
NATIONAL LEAD
Introducing the Jefferson Center program into the Worcester employment and training system marks the first time that this effort has been adapted to any such system in the nation. Worcester may well take a national lead in demonstrating the positive effect that responsible decision-making can have on society.
Worcester may also avoid becoming the Los Angeles of the next century. California's Proposition 13 and the resulting cutback of recreational and educational programs for youth turned many of them to drugs, gangs and violence. Recently, I was told by a social worker from South Central L.A. that our Proposition 2 1/2 and similar recreational cutbacks will foster the same situation here. Thus, it is imperative that responsibility and values clarification become a major part of our educational curriculum.
Although it was nearly 200 years late, The Hartford Courant did act responsibly in issuing its apology to Mr. Jefferson. I believe that Thomas Jefferson would accept it, and encourage us in Worcester to continue to teach responsibility. In the final analysis, it may be our last hope.
"Teach them responsibility and
they'll teach themselves the rest."
