By now you’ve seen or read the recent news about actress Lindsay Lohan’s 90-day jail sentence. Those who have not seen the news only need to know that a wonderful young Disney actress, now a 25-year old woman, has been sentenced to jail time and a “stay” in a rehabilitation facility. The judge, who has been attempting to steer her away from drugs and alcohol for a number of months, has no more “second chances” left for Lindsay.
In a July 11, 2010 article, Gloria Goodale, reporter for the Christian Science Monitor challenged readers to delve deeper into this story. Rather than focus on the lifestyles of “out-of-control” celebrities, she proposed that our entire culture is out of control and we have lost our moorings. Interestingly, Goodale opened her article by quoting a Jewish Rabbi, rather than a lawyer or media specialist:
"This is the blind leading the blind," says Rabbi Boteach. "Police can erect a barricade against going over a cliff, but they can't impart values."
Goodale purports what many of us—especially those in the helping professions—have come to believe about today’s culture: “behavior is influenced by like-minded cohorts and less and less by traditional values.”
What are traditional values anyway—does anyone know or adhere to them?
Rabbi Boteach believes there are the “four essential” traditional values that create a meaningful life. They are:
A grounded life (where someone makes you take out the garbage), spiritual values (including the sanctity of marriage), surrounding yourself with friends who tell you the truth—not people who use you or lead you into trouble, and giving yourself to a cause which is higher than yourself.
I've just attended a national conference on marriage. The breakout sessions I chose to sit in on each had to do with teaching the traditional values of marriage to young men and women, boys and girls. I found the current statistics and research on marriage, sex, and the media to converge in such a way as to motivate me EVEN MORE to become outspoken about traditional values that lead to great relationships and meaningful lives for people of all ages.
You owe it to yourself (and those you know and love) to become a part of changing our culture for the better by speaking up. Surely there are young men and women in your life who are desperate for someone to tell them that marriage can last a lifetime, sex is best within a marriage bond, and it is possible to be sober, fun and happy:)!
Each week I ask you to make a little change that can have a big result. What are you waiting for? Become a mentor to newlyweds or teach a class on marriage to young men and women in your community, on a campus near you or at your church. (And if you need a curriculum to get you started, try Wait Training or a good book that talks about the science behind sex and the brain, read Hooked.)
Let's make a difference with our lives right where we're at--rather than complain about celebrities, let's change our culture!
Be encouraged,
Becky
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