MORALITY IS COOL

" IN WORDS, AS FASHIONS, THE SAME RULE WILL HOLD,
ALIKE FANTASTIC IF TOO NEW OR OLD;
BE NOT THE FIRST BY WHOM THE NEW ARE TRIED,
NOR YET THE LAST TO LAY THE OLD ASIDE."

INTO THIS SENTIMENT OF ALEXANDER POPE IN THE 1700'S, SUBSTITUTE THE WORD GOODNESS. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO ENCOURAGING BRITAIN'S CULTURE TO DO JUST THAT, MAKE GOODNESS FASHIONABLE.

WITH GOODNESS, AS FASHIONS, THE SAME RULES APPLY. FASHION AND GOODNESS WILL BE REGARDED AS ASTONISHING OR SHOCKING AT FIRST OR JUST OLD-FASHIONED. BRAVE SOULS MUST SET THE EXAMPLE, DARING TO BE GOOD SO THAT OTHERS WILL FOLLOW THE NEW FASHION STATEMENT.

BRAVERY NEVER GOES OUT OF FASHION EITHER. THEREFORE, LET'S MAKE GOODNESS THE ‘IN’ THING AGAIN. THE VICTORIANS - DESPITE THEIR BEHIND- THE- SCENES HYPOCRISIES - SET AN EXAMPLE IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA OF FASHIONABLE MORALITY. IN MY HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, A CLUB SPONSORED A 'COURTESY IS COOL' CAMPAIGN. MEMORY ROBS ME OF KNOWING WHAT MEASURE OF SUCCESS WAS ACHIEVED, BUT THE IDEA OF CIVILITY SHOULD BE ONE THAT IS PERENNIALLY POPULAR. DITTO WITH MORALITY. THE UNITED STATES IS LOATHED ABROAD FOR OUR DEPRAVITY, NARCISSISM AND SELF-CENTEREDNESS. THOUGH NOT WITHOUT GLARING EXCEPTIONS OF MORAL RECTITUDE, THESE BAD BEHAVIORS RESONATE NEGATIVELY WITH OBSERVERS OF OUR CULTURE. WHEN MORALITY IS COOL, WHEN GOODNESS IF FASHIONABLE, OUR COUNTRY WILL HAVE RETRIEVED SOME OF HER PAST GREATNESS.