THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411100003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A22 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
When did we the people of this great country start to become a society of selfish, self-centered individuals?
Seldom do we hear ``thank you'' said with true meaning; it has become an automatic response followed by ``Have a good day'' as the individual turns away from serving you. I seldom hear ``Yes, sir,'' ``No, sir,'' ``Yes, ma'am or ``No, ma'am.''
When did simple courtesy become a thing of the past? In many cases we do not have respect for ourselves, much less for another person. The news media report cases of assault every hour.
We enjoy television talk shows filled with stories of sex, assault, disrespect and the like. The more violence, sex or gore we see on television, the better. Even election of our public officials has become like a soap opera.
We ask our officials to govern and protect us, and then we disregard them.
We violate traffic laws and threaten with violent gestures and comments those who are trying to obey them. When we are stopped by a policeman, he is the bad guy and we are the victims. That this official might be saving our lives means nothing - only that he dares to stop us for breaking the law.
We have become a nation of ``I,'' ``me'' and ``mine,'' thinking only of what we can get with the least amount of effort and inconvenience to ourselves. ``Forget the other guy; I'm going to get mine.'' This attitude had better change, because anarchy follows a people who lack respect for themselves and the law.
When we no longer remember that God placed us on Earth to help one another, then we stop being a civilized nation of many people and start to become a mob pitting one member against another.
Wake up, America. We are one nation, under God, governed by law and respect.
RAYMOND L. FIELDS
Norfolk, Nov. 1, 1994 by CNB