The article discusses a recent study from the University of Notre Dame regarding the state of America's youth.
It's actually rather depressing, from the point of view of a Catholic school principal. Over and over again, the 18 - 23 year olds who were interviewed about making moral choices gave examples that reflected an "extreme moral individualism" - they made moral choices based solely on how the choice made them feel. I hear young adults say this all the time - "Who am I to say whether that's right or wrong for someone else? It's up to them."
Clearly, this is not what we believe as Catholics! It's not always easy to walk as a disciple of the Lord, but we always have the moral compass, that absolute truth, that points us to eternal life. It's why our Savior has given us his Word - so that can say, definitively, "This is wrong. This is what I should do, instead."
Somehow, our society has missed that message. Perhaps because we don't receive the Eucharist regularly - every Sunday. Perhaps because we're seduced by the media messages that tell us "it's all about me." Whatever the reason, we have our work cut out for us!
When I talk to parents about our school and our faith being counter-cultural, this is what I mean. We need to constantly share the Good News, the absolute truth of our salvation, in spite of the often louder voices calling us to an extreme moral relativity. All choices are NOT equally appropriate. It's why our "moral unit," our community, is our parish family. This is where we learn to transcend our own selfish impulses, to make the often difficult decisions that are best in the long run, for all of society, not just for me.
I suspect some of this extreme moral relativism may be at the root of many of our current political and economic difficulties - but that's another blog post!
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