Bothered and Bewildered--The Case For Active Adult Communities. Or Why We're Going To Hell In A Handbasket

There's something so disturbing about the direction society is taking. Michael Jackson is free to sleep with little boys again, a young honor student from Alabama goes on a trip to Aruba and it looks like she's probably winding up dead because she didn't want to do what her date wanted her to do. Young people walk down the street wearing t-shirts with the words on it, "F is for F___" only there are no blanks on the shirt. My stomach turns when I hear these stories. I'm sad for us all. There is no standard that is accepted for proper social behavior. There is no standard that values respect for self or for those around them. There is no sense of value for our future above "stuff."

I understand why people over 55 are flocking to Active Adult Communities--there they can function in a society where values and beliefs are commonly understood. Adult men don't live in places called Neverland and sleep with young boys in Active Adult Communities. People don't blow up other people with bombs because of differences in religion. They don't just talk about tolerance. The majority doesn't have to tolerate the obnoxious vocal minority's every rude act and whim--they don't have to deal with those who hold hostage the principles the majority holds dear. The proverbial tail doesn't wag the dog in Active Adult Communities. There is order. Everyone there was raised in a time when life was precious, honor supreme, kindness a valued virtue, manners weren't outdated, consideration was the norm, and decisions were made by a vote of everyone who wanted to be counted in. The side with the most votes ruled. It's so simple, yet lost to this generation.

God help them when they reap what they are sowing today: selfishness, pleasure at the expense of others, winning at any price, a religion worshiping money above all else, and a strong aversion to any mention of traditional religion or God, friends for gain (it's using people and is called networking), perversion in the media--its content, thoughts, and its role models. Men want to marry men, women want to marry women. We think it's a good idea to kill some people in order to make other people's lives better. Why not? We know what's right. If it benefits us, we should do it. Never mind those who pay the price for our decisions or what the long term consequences might be. People make decisions based on feelings not any particular set of guidelines. Society cannot survive this chaos. History shows that societies thrive under systems of order and fail under chaos. It's the same old song evidenced by the latest headlines and with a different beat. But it's still the same old song. And our days are numbered if we don't wake up and smell the coffee soon.