National fight against moral decadence needed

Today, our society is so wilfully and deliberately contravening moral excellence to worrying limits.

The issue of fallen moral standards came to the fore once again when, last week, Ghanaians were petrified to see a video making the rounds on social media of eight students of the Chiana Senior High School making derogatory and unprintable comments against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Although the students have been pardoned by the President, after they were dismissed from school, the despicable behaviour of the students cannot be swept under the carpet.

What accounted for that uncouth behaviour by the eight students?

The answer may be varied, as it may be traceable to their parents, their teachers, politicians and society as a whole.

We of the Daily Graphic cannot help but conclude that the behaviour of the students was shameful and appalling, especially when they directed their needless verbal attacks at the person who holds the highest office in the country.

We believe that their behaviour reflects how low moral standards have fallen in our society, an indication that something drastic needs to be done to reverse the worrying trend.

It is regrettable to observe that every day on television and radio we see and hear our politicians insulting and calling one another names.

It has become fashionable, in the name of politics, to see young people insulting elders and senior citizens. No wonder, the children of today see it as a right to do same and, therefore, direct invectives at elders at the least provocation.

Some attitudes adopted by some Ghanaians are alien to our culture. We are no longer what we were — the institution of family has broken down and respect for elders and constituted authority, which used to be our cardinal principle in society, is now at its lowest ebb.

It is a truism to say Ghana, as a nation, has a tradition of reverence and for morality unfortunately, we are losing it so fast.

Over the years, society has witnessed deterioration in its moral,and social values. The issue of moral decadence has become a vexed one because society is developing so rapidly that the line between what is morally right and what is wrong is blurring.

The decadence is so deep that family, the very cradle of life, has also, ironically, become a cradle of rot.

With instability in many homes and parents grappling with the fact that they themselves lack moral authority, many children are raised without character and integrity.

Parental abandonment has become one of the factors that contribute to moral decadence in our society today. Many children are caught up in this trap of being left on their own. There is little or no coaching and teaching on moral values. Children learn by themselves from themselves.

Modern technology is another tool that contributes to the increase in moral decadence in our society today. Technology and increasing fast trends in globalisation have turned society upside down. Immorality is purchased by parents into homes and into the hands of children. There is little or no guidance when it comes to the use of technology. It looks like the devil lives in technology.

Morality is concerned with the distinction between right and wrong, good and evil or principles and motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.

A morally degraded person has no plan in life, no future ambition or proper orientation that advocates respect for elders or compassion for the young; he or she would easily partake in politics, armed robbery, ethno-religious crisis or any other form of unrest.

We strongly hold the view that to reverse the trend, a national moral campaign must be initiated to allow moral principles be taught in homes, schools and places of worship, with other factors having influence on it, including peer groups and the environment.

There have been calls on parents to always make time for their children, be there for them and pay attention to the small details they (parents) consider very important to them (children), teach the young ones about generosity, how to be truthful in nature, have compassion for the young and respect for the elders.

The most encouraging message is that as soon as we realise that we need a morally sound society in order to solve all our problems in this nation and understand that the combined effort of all sectors is needed in order to inculcate moral principles into individuals, we can see there is light at the end of the tunnel.