HOW did we lose or misplace a word in our lives and in our vocabulary? Importantly, what have we really misplaced/lost?
The word (and the concept of) "Integrity" has ceased to exist in many places in our world, notably in politics, government agencies, and corporations. If you follow the scandals in the Catholic church (but also found in other denominations) it has ceased to exist in religion as well.
Cheating in school is acceptable to the students, and cheating on tax returns is acceptable to many people, perhaps due to an unfair tax system, but they cheat nonetheless. Getting too much change at the grocery store is often not returned even though the minimum-wage clerk has to pay any shortage at closing, and no one ever complains when a product rings up as less than the shelf-posted price.
We make written contracts because a man's word or handshake no longer has value. Marriages dissolve over unkept promises of fidelity. I'm not even gonna touch on crimes of theft, rape and murder, much less child-abuse and selling children and women into sexual slavery.
I like to think perhaps Abdul Kareem (see Puliyamkulam Forest) had it at least partially right when he stated -
ReplyDelete"Deep inside everyone of us is a call to the wild. Much of the impatience, discontent or violence around us is due to a lack of opportunity to reconnect with where we came from. For sanity and generosity of spirit, we should be able to witness nature at its unceasing, rejuvenating work."
What an interesting observation. Thanks!
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