I know what you mean, MysticRose. I’ve long held the belief that society as a whole has been degrading for the last couple of decades; Likely longer, but I only really became aware of it in my late teens/early twenties. I often wonder if this is merely a factor of age (Just turned forty), as I clearly remember my father saying the same thing when I was younger, or an real indication of a systemic failure of our society in general.
I really think the rapidity of the problems magnifying have a lot to do with our complete dependence on electronic devices. It seems to be that society as a whole in the Internet age has led to an entire generation that, while communicating with and learning from a much larger world then I did as a child, or more so, my parents did, have learned the communication is largely anonymous and with no real world risks or repercussions.
Combine this with a generation or two that is largely raised sans parents, since dual incomes are largely mandatory to survive and raise a family. This leads to children being raised largely by people that have no familial ties to the children in their care. These kids then don’t get the opportunity to develop the moral and ethical framework that families have traditionally passed down from one generation to the next.
The worst part about it is that I can’t even blame the parents. I strongly feel that most parents truly want the very best for their children. Society just forces them to have to take on ever greater workloads to support the family that want to provide for. Then consider the fact that consumerism is rampant, and people are brainwashed into thinking they need the latest and greatest, when in decades past simple was more then acceptable. We even do it here, with all the new flavors, mods and atties, that we somehow can’t live without.
I wish I knew a solution to the problem. Sadly I think without a total reboot of society and government as we know them, the problems will just intensify until a breaking point is reached. It’s for this very reason that I’ve embarked on an effort to teach my children how to grow and prepare food. We’re also looking at starting to raise chickens, mainly for eggs, but also for food. My eldest knows how to catch and clean fish, and while I’m not a fun of hunting, I plan on teaching her to shoot in the very near future. While I pray that society doesn’t go the way it seems to be heading in my or my children’s lifetimes, having those skills are useful either way, so there’s no harm in learning them. History shows that all cultures ultimately die and fade away if it doesn’t adapt to changing circumstances, Rome, the Mongol Empire, even the Soviet Union, all failed for lack of adaptation. I see the USA as we know it now heading in the same direction.
The good news is, while the governments and hierarchies may have failed, the populace generally survived and ultimately forged itself in to something better. It’s merely the cycle of life on a global scale. There’s rough times ahead, I think. But if we prepare appropriately, we can all come out of it better people!
God I’m wordy when I don’t get enough sleep 
