EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY? A 12 YR. OLD HAVING SEX 28 TIMES IN ONE WEEK WITH A 30 SOMETHING TEACHER. WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THIS COUNTRY? AN EASTER EGG HUNT FOR 2 TO 12 YEAR OLDS DIVIDED INTO 5 AGE BRACKETS. THE FORMER, OF COURSE, IS A GUILT-LADEN SCENARIO AND THE LATTER A GUILTLESS ONE. HOW DO WE FIX WHAT HAS GONE SO WRONG WITH THE MORAL DICHOTOMY IN OUR SOCIETY WHICH BOTH SPURNS AND ENCOURAGES GUILTLY HEDONISM? MY SUGGESTION IS TO RE-INSTALL MORALITY INTO THE DEFINITION OF GUILT. BECAUSE OF AMERICA'S FIXATION WITH 'GRIEVANCE NARRATIVES' AND GUILT, SOMEONE MUST ALWAYS BE FOUND GUILTY, SOMEONE MUST ALWAYS PAY. RARELY, HOWEVER, DO THE GUILTY ADMIT THEY ARE GUILTY OR DO THE GUILTY PAY. GREAT BRITAIN IS FOREMOST AMONG THE GUILT-RIDDEN NATIONS, YET IT HAS VIRTUALLY ABANDONED CHURCH-GOING AND MORALITY. MY SOLUTION THEN, LIES DOWN THE OPPOSITE ROAD THAT ENGLAND HAS MARCHED. IN THE RUSSIAN NOVELIST FEODOR DOSTOEVSKI'S NOVEL "CRIME AND PUNISHMENT," GUILT ORIGINIATED FROM CONSCIENCE. CONSCIENCE SHAPES INDIVIDUALS' RESPONSIBILITIES. AMERICANS (AND BY EXTENSION OUR CULTURE) NEED A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE.