We are doing alright
Headlines are being made today by the greed of executives in the financial district, the obstinate position of the auto unions, and the economic mess that is resulting from problems with the economy. We might think that the world is falling apart. But consider some of the following items.
A black man, Barrack Obama, was elected president of the United States. Despite sharp differences in policy and some controversy around media coverage, this major event didn’t require the deployment of the Army and didn’t involve riots or violence. We conducted ourselves as a civilized society.
J.P. Hayes disqualified himself from the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament for inadvertently breaking the rules.He accidentally used an illegal golf ball for one hole. This incredible act of character will prevent him from making a living playing golf on the PGA Tour next year.
The divorce rate in 2005 (per 1,000 people) was 3.6 — the lowest rate since 1970, and down from 4.2 in 2000 and from 4.7 in 1990 (The peak was at 5.3 in 1981, according to the Associated Press.)
Preliminary crime statistics for 2007 show a 1.4 percent drop in violent crime and a 2.1 percent decline in property crime rates.
So despite challenges in the economy, and examples of individual greed and generally bad behavior grabbing the headlines, I believe our society is pretty intact and that individual character still matters.
