What I learned from "Dear Abby" in tonight's local paper was the following:
1) It is okay for a teacher to date a former student...
2) It is not okay to retrieve another person's child from climbing over a gate at the zoo...
3) When you discover that your lady's golf partner is a home wrecker, it is okay to first confront her and then choose not to be her friend...
All three of these topics in tonight's "Dear Abby" section were quite comical to say the least. First of all, suggesting to any educator that dating a former student is okay, is absolutely unacceptable in my book. Even if the former student is now an adult, it is in the best interest of the educator to avoid that situation all together.
Secondly, if a child is about to go over the fence of the lion exhibit at the zoo, I will not waste precious time seeking a zoo keeper or security guard to save the child. My maternal instinct is to protect the child from being eaten by a lion.
Finally, if I discovered my lady's golf partner was in a relationship with a married man, I would confront her, but I would also continue to be a friend. Every one is human and is apt to make wrong choices, those choices do not make them any less human than anyone else.
The most important lesson from today's section was that morality should always be taken into account when making a decision. In this day and age, many decisions are based on what is socially acceptable than what is morally right.
Isn't saying that something is "socially acceptable" another way of saying that it is also considered "morally right", at least by a majority (or large plurality) of the populace of the particular culture in which it takes place? Or would you say that what is socially acceptable in our current society has come completely unhinged from morality? Also, there is a wide variety of views within our society of what is socially acceptable and/or moral in a given situation. It would seem fair to say there are some cultures where there is not a wide variety of views on these matters.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should define "morally right" as what our devout Catholic parents taught us growing up in the 80's. Call me old fashioned, but half of the stuff kids and some adults do in public now that is considered by some to be socially acceptable is far from morally right in my book...then again I do not feel the actions of many are socially acceptable either. I accept the fact that I live in a bubble where my kids are expected to be respectful, follow the rules, do their homework, clean their rooms...I absolutely think that our current society is becoming unhinged from morality.
ReplyDeleteOf course each person has his/her own beliefs on what is considered moral and right...why else would parents call their kids in sick when they're really going on a shopping trip...this is what happens when valuable life lessons are removed from the classroom and replaced by standardized assessments that kids are happy to forget about as soon as they walk out the school doors.
Ok. The first topic in Dear Abby, my initial reaction was "Ewww!". My second reaction was "Whatever."
ReplyDeleteFor the last topic, my initial reaction was basically "Stay out of it." I had a friend who had an affair. I didn't approve of it at all. But never said a word to her. My approval or disapproval wouldn't have stopped her from the affair. When her husband had an affair, she came to me all upset. She said she was going to leave him over it. This time, I did voice my opinion and told her that I didn't understand why she was so upset because she cheated on him too. Long story short, we're no longer friends.
Now on the second topic about the child being in harm's way. I, too, would say something to the child. And when the parent started cursing me out...Well, I probably would tell her that if she were watching her child, I wouldn't have had to say anything.
I tell kids all the time at WalMart to sit down in the carts. Or not to run in the aisles or stand on the benches by the checkouts. It's part of my job. But even when I'm not on the clock or in another store, I'm gonna say something. Chalk it up to human nature or maternal instinct. But it's gonna happen. If the parents get mad or the kid doesn't listen, then yeah, I'll go to someone and say something.