Is Western Society Devolving?

First of all devolve is not truly the opposite of evolve. A more appropriate word would be degenerate as a verb denoting losing stature from the previous ranking, or other form of measurement, and as a noun, where the person has lost values like morality, quality of life, and skill sets.

One of the major reasons why western society is degenerating (in my opinion) is the lack of teaching/learning of the 3 R’s (Reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic—Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic) and, one can argue, the 4^th R, which is Respect. It seems to me that along with the first three, western society has lost a lot of respect for its own culture. It could also be argued that this is a worldwide problem in that values have now degenerated below the levels that our parents and grandparents once held in such high esteem.

Text messaging is a major contributor to the degeneration of communication between individuals. Nothing gets more confusing as all those short forms that people use to speed through the communication process, simply because the tool is just not that well suited for the job. You can also argue that it is a sign of lack of respect for the other person since the individual is too lazy to take the time to communicate what is really being said.

I fear for today’s youth and what they will face in the future trying to cope with everyday life. I believe they are not properly armed with the tools to deal with all things in life. Yes I am older and hang on to values and teachings that were passed on to me by not just teachers but members of the community that actually cared and knew each other more than just to wave at each other in the driveway. That was the respect they all had for each other, even if at times they got upset with what they might be doing. Maybe everyone needs that white picket fence between each yard and take the time to share a cup of coffee or a brown pop and some basic respectful conversation like I saw in my neighbourhood growing up.

So what’s the solution to this problem? It is quite easy to just spout what is wrong with the world today because you see and hear it every day in this “show me drama in the news” world. I think it involves a return to the everyday practice of the 4 R’s all over the world. That also means we should respect our heritage, our own country first, those that help protect our daily lives and look inwards first before we go and try to “save” the other countries and minority groups out there. The fact of the matter is they really don’t want interference in their lives and we actually disrespect that wish by sticking our nose into their business. Let them work out their own problems and let’s focus on our own internal problems, before we make devolve a standard word in our limited vocabulary.

Easy speak is a language that only results in degenerated communication. Say what you mean by taking the time to convey the true feeling of the content of your thoughts. W’ats Up! doesn’t cut it in my opinion.

…how did the 3 r’s degenerate into a symbol for recycling (reduce, reuse, recycling). Yep it is an important issue but by paying to attention to the original ones plus respect, the recycling issue is a no-brainer!
…how’s that for a good example of devolution in today’s world?