Shame

One thing people hate is to feel shame. In days gone by, people were put in stocks, perhaps having tomatoes thrown at them and laughed at. In schools, to shame an errant pupil, they may have been forced to wear donkey ears or wear a dunce cap to indicate stupidity. Likewise, having to stand, kneel or bend over in a corner.

Today, some judges in the US have had people carrying a sign in front of the local courthouse that reads: “I stole from a local store.” Apparently, it has a high success rate in reducing repeat offending. Community shame is a strong deterrent for engaging in what is deemed unacceptable. However, shame is now rarely used in this way.

Also, what now constitutes shameful has changed. When I was a boy, a fair fight involved one on one, never kicking someone on the ground, and if one combatant had had enough, so be it. A woman being a virgin was once something of high value on her wedding night, today many men would see her as naive and her innocence undesirable. Living together without being married was also not acceptable. Some of the photos and video clips that end up on the Internet would indicate that what was embarrassing not so many years ago is something to be proud of.

In deciding how to live, while the community can be an influence for good, it's declining standards are not always right. If you follow the Bible for instance, its values are steady. They are the same as they were when written and they are still the best way to live. An honest evaluation of its precepts will keep us on the narrow path. (Please read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 to see how bad the world has got).

The fact is, many of today's standards are shameful. Just because our peers and/or society view them with favour doesn't make it fine. As our civilisation sinks lower with each passing year, we would do well to note that this is a sign of its decline, not of enlightenment or true freedom.