Don DeForge, VMD-Silver Sands VeterinaryFinding RESPECT in 2015

Don DeForge, VMD Silver Sands Veterinary Center 

31October2015

FINDING RESPECT IN 2015

We are a society without respect!  It has been lost in the home; schools; the workplace; and in our daily interactions with others.  We have created a culture of finding ways to take advantage of others for our own benefit. We have found ways to use the Internet to bully and attack which is easily labeled as criminal.  Children and adults commit suicide because of harassment at school; in the workplace; and in social media. In sports, young athletes are told to win at any cost without any appreciation for good sportsmanship and fair play.  Sports figures are no longer heroes but drug addicts; alcoholics; wife beaters; and PED advocates.  Movies sell that push violence; torture; pain; and repetitious sexual scenarios.  Pornography can be found easily by youth and is visualized by them on their Smart phones on a daily basis.

Many would say the above paragraph is the half empty description of society.  They would comment that the 1/2 full is not being mentioned.  There is a 1/2 full........ but the glasses that can be classified as 1/2 full are in the minority.  In the picture above, a health care professional helps a child who is ill at a Pediatric Center.  There are incredible health care teams that understand the pain of terminal illness or chronic illness and are beacons of love and compassion.

There are homes where parents still find time to discuss respect, caring, sharing, and love.  But not enough.  There are houses of God where individuals spend time in service and not just in collection of funds for pastoral fulfillment.  These are few!  There are teachers who are dedicated mentors and help direct careers and stimulant young minds.  These teachers are not the norm.

Is there an answer?  How do we return to the nuclear family where values were not empty words but daily lessons that led to actions.  An even more complex question is can we return to that time?

2015 is a super-complex world driven by the Internet and Social Media.  Look each day at the people in the markets; streets; stores; schools; workplaces....... and take a survey of how many are on Smart Phones and do not even know you are right in front of them.

I do not have the answer that I am seeking.  Better parenting; mentoring; and youth group volunteering may help.  Corporations; politicians; executives; and power holders are all anti-respect centers. They commonly are self-serving and discourage the underling to believe that they can make a difference.  These groups will probably stay static and have no interest in changing because they like the power and the monetary rewards of the status quo.  If taught that ONLY money rules from a young age, we will continue to populate the world with ego-centered uncaring citizens.  

Change is the end result of all true learning.....you must want to make a change! We must consider "giving" and not just "taking"! 

Dr. DeForge welcomes comments on his blogs:

E-Mail DonDeFore100@gmail.com

or write to:

Dr. Don DeForge

Silver Sands Veterinary Center

17 Seemans Lane

Milford, CT 06460

31October2015