Monday, July 12, 2010

Creating a Dysfunctional Society

If we intentionally set out to create a dysfunctional society, what would we do?

We might:
  • Celebrate anti-heroes;
  • Make excuses for criminals;
  • Ignore the quiet courage of those who live ordinary and productive lives;
  • Scorn achievers;
  • Regard wealth as theft;
  • Mock the religious;
  • Fail to enforce the law;
  • Reward sharp practices and smooth but groundless explanations;
  • Take progress for granted;
  • Favor style over substance;
  • Reduce our defenses;
  • Encourage sloth;
  • Abandon checks and balances;
  • Narrow our sources of information;
  • Embrace the vulgar;
  • Think only of the immediate;
  • Surrender accountability; and
  • Place material security above personal liberty.

3 comments:

Dan Richwine said...

Your point is too subtle for me to get :)

Seriously, too true. We live in Babylon, and we cannot assume the values we see outside are our own.

Michael Wade said...

Dan,

That is one reason why leadership by example is not enough. We need to talk about values.

Michael

Anonymous said...

I pondered what a place like that would be to live in, and then I looked out the window.....