You have noticed a general decline in the level of discipline and morality in your society. In an article suitable for publication in a national newspaper, ...

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THE ALARMING DECLINE IN DISCIPLINE AND MORALITY

It is impossible for any thoughtful observer to ignore the general decline in the level of discipline and morality in our society today. Values that our forefathers held sacred are being trampled underfoot, and unless the trend is reversed, we shall bequeath to the coming generation a society without conscience.

The instances of this decline are everywhere to be seen. Corruption has become a way of life, and public officers plunder the treasury without shame. Examination malpractice is rampant in our schools, so that certificates no longer guarantee competence. Respect for elders and for authority has all but vanished; young people dress indecently, speak rudely and glorify violence. Cybercrime, cultism, drug abuse and the reckless worship of wealth, however dishonestly gained, complete this sad picture.

The causes of this moral collapse are not hard to find. The first is the breakdown of proper home training, as many parents, chasing after money, have abandoned the moral upbringing of their children. Secondly, the mass media and the internet ceaselessly promote vulgarity, greed and loose living as the ideal life. Thirdly, our society itself is to blame, for it honours the rich without asking how they became rich and allows wrongdoers to escape punishment, thereby suggesting that crime pays. The general poverty in the land also tempts many to abandon honesty for survival.

Yet all is not lost, for the trend can be reversed. Parents must return to their sacred duty of raising their children in sound morals, both by teaching and by good example. Schools and religious bodies should place fresh emphasis on moral and civic instruction. The government must fight corruption without fear or favour, ensuring that wrongdoing is promptly and justly punished, so that discipline is seen to pay. The media, for their part, should promote wholesome values and celebrate men and women of integrity as models for the young.

A society is only as healthy as the character of its people. If home, school, government and the media rise together to this challenge, decency and discipline can be restored, and our nation can be saved from the ruin towards which it is drifting. The work is urgent, and it must begin at once.