Sad State of Affairs

Have you noticed how depressing it is to read or watch the news everyday?  Headlines abound about men killing their girlfriends/wives, even when pregnant; men robbing and raping; soldiers killing other soldiers; men stealing kids and doing deplorable things to them; family members killing other family members; people taking advantage of the elderly in so many ways; gang members killing innocent people -- the list goes on and on!  What has become of our world?  It is indeed a sad state of affairs. 

When I was a very little girl, my siblings and I could play outside without fear of being grabbed by some stranger.  We left our doors unlocked.  Neighbor knew neighbor.  Parents and children played outside in their neighborhoods, and we'd wave to people as they passed by either on foot or in their cars.  Life was simpler, slower, and safer than it is today.  Whether we know it or not, we have become a nation that has slidden down a slope into an environment that's unhealthy for us and even moreso for our children. 

Last evening, I found "The Waltons" on the Inspiration station on my Dish Network.  I watched it!  It was relaxing, entertaining, and wholesome -- and I remembered that my children had grown up watching that show.  All those years ago, I never had to worry about the conversations, the content of the program, or the possibility of violence.  Indeed, the stories were family-oriented and could be enjoyed by everyone -- young and old alike.  But now, we allow our kids -- and us -- to see violence against others, to hear cuss words at every turn, to hear putdowns and criticism, to view science fiction stories that contain grotesque animations, movies depicting murders and brutalities to other human beings -- and we wonder why our society is the way it is!  Viewing such things creates a photo of that brutality or grotesque thing into the person's mind who viewed it, causing that image to be brought to memory by various triggering points.  What we do and how we act are directly related to what we see and hear, yet we continue to devour like ravenous dogs everything that the movie industry throws our way and often encourage our children to see things that they can't handle and shouldn't view. 

Young children are impressionable.  When they see things on the big screen or on television, how can they differentiate between what's real and what's computer-generated?  Fear is real, and once instilled into children, it can leave then uncertain, confused, and often terrified of things that are non-existent, but because they saw them in a movie, they are real to THEM.  As parents, we need to shield our children from images that can literally affect their lives. 

Let's protect our children from the ravages of Hollywood and the violence that spills from it.  Let's take charge of keeping things of violence and horror out of our living rooms and out of our own minds as well.  We'll be better, kinder, more compassionate people for it.