Have we truly lost track of right and wrong……a lie is no longer a lie, just someone’s “interpretation of the truth?” How long can a society stand on a foundation of untruths….how far are we off course from words like “honesty,” “justice,” and “unconditional love?” All one has to do is skim through the daily newspapers or monthly magazines and the truth is so in front of our faces that we can’t even see it anymore. A friend of mine recently said to me, “I’ve got to buy a couple of magazines so I know what to wear.” Another added “I am overdosing on scandals, murders, and bad news in general.” One year it’s O.J.Simpson, the next year it’s Jon Benet Ramsey, and this past year the White House Scandal. We have become so jaded by the daily rumors and body counts that many of us no longer care what happens, just that it eventually is over.

Which side is the right side? Is it my government, your government, the conservatives, the liberals, or just the “spin machine.” Each night an array of characters are paraded on television in front of our eyes, with degrees that stretch for miles. They truly have the correct insight, and anybody who differs from their opinion are either idiots or just plain stupid, in their view. After the O.J. Simpson trial just about everybody wrote a book on their interpretation of the trial, while nobody was held responsible for the killing of two innocent people. The little girl, Jon Benet Ramsey’s murder case, has also not been solved. There, too, nobody has been held responsible for her death. But walk in to any bookstore, and I’m sure you will find somebody’s point of view regarding her murder. Now we get to the latest scandal…President Clinton’s “activities.”

Last night, I, like many Americans, sat and watched Monica Lewinsky give her step by step account of her “relationship” with the President. In-between her giggles, her tears, and her revelations, I saw a young woman who is in way over her head, with no supportive system in place to tell her what she was doing was wrong. Have we clung to our political point of views so tightly that we no longer allow ourselves to be open-minded and view the larger picture? Down the road, what effect will these three cases have on our society in general? Can they be swept under the carpet, and for how long?

History has taught us that most societies decay from within….rarely from outside invasion. How long can a body live with a diseased heart or an infected brain? Is life-support our destination? I hope not. I pray a search is under way for a cure for our social dilemmas. One thing is for sure…..we have stretched the definition of right and wrong as far as it can go. I think deep down inside each one of us knows the difference….the challenge is to admit it.

Take the time to talk,
Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon