For some time, the label “judgmental” has been something
that most Americans have sought to avoid being pinned on them. It signifies intolerance in our relativistic
age… “After all, who am I to judge?”.
The Sensible Conservative wears it as a badge of honor…
as did our nation’s founders. After all,
to be judgmental is to have standards, whether they be moral or simply a sense
of social propriety. Without standards anarchy
prevails.
But that observation, while true, is incomplete. The vast majority of people have views of
what’s right and what’s wrong. What
should be done and what shouldn’t be. So
humankind, mostly, I’m sure, have standards which, with varying degrees of
success, they strive to follow. Yet
standards to influence others to adhere to them must be communicated outside of
one’s self.
However, it is an unfortunate fact that few in American
society today have the courage to brave the approbation that greets the
“judgmental” defender.
The
Sensible Conservative believes this to be a crisis for America.
It used to be that religion and educational institutions
and broader leaders of society served as heralds of good character and proper
social conduct. No more. Most have simply abdicated the role, either
out of modern relativistic attitude or fear of giving offense.
So what?
Our Founding Fathers (read The Federalist Papers) believed that a virtuous people were
essential to the survival of a free republic.
They would have the character and judgment to make wise choices. Of course, given the history of the past two
centuries plus since then, that belief included naivete and hopes not always
realized.
[Is it doubtful that a “current” Alexander Hamilton or
James Madison would look with favor upon Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.]
America needs a moral awakening. Proper standards are not only right, they are
essential to our society’s long term health – and, hence, survival.
Values
that matter:
Respect
for others
Compassion
for the less fortunate
The
dignity of work
Self-reliance
Love
of country
Devotion
to family
Honesty
Values (the list is not meant to be all inclusive)
require not only adherence but also promulgation. Being judgmental can be a virtue.
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