. . . I think one of the big challenges for any moral system is showing which one is right amongst all of the different systems. . .
And you and I both realize, of course, that most people don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about different systems of ethics, right?
I think most people focus on things, like the electrician who recently emphasized to both my parents and myself, that he’d take a look at the damage on Thursday and then be able to give a time projection. I’m think as a seasoned guy he’s learned through long and bitter experience that if he gives any kind of time projection, no matter how tentative, people latch onto it much more than they should.
So, people focus on doing better at their jobs, as leaders and volunteers of whatever organization they’re involved with, including church.
And especially as parents.
I mean, parents of toddlers really want to spend time talking with other parents of toddlers, all the way up the age range, until . . .
This starts to come unraveled during the teenage years. For example a Dad will, instead of welcoming his teenage son becoming a young man, resent him and at times resent almost everything about him. And a Mom will sometimes wage war against her teenage daughter, sometimes even more acutely than a Dad will against his son. Often the big issue with the Mom is that the daughter is interested in a boy she’s completely against.
It’s sad.
If we were a truly moral culture, we’d be concerned about the shabby, and often flat-out abusive, way in which we treat teenagers. But we feel we have more important things to worry about.