SOCIOLOGICAL REFORM: What’s It All About?
All governments deal with sociological breakdown in varying degrees. Those who choose to respond to negative challenges with a positive plan-of-action have begun to properly address concerns that plague individuals and society as a whole. These include poverty, illiteracy, disease, crime, environmental degradation, dysfunctional homes, alcohol and drug problems, substandard educational practices, poor communication, inadequate housing, mental illness, prejudice, segregation, racism, caste-systems, age and gender discrimination, lack of opportunity, disabilities, handicaps, lack of infrastructure, etc. Those societies which recognize the importance of solving these shortcomings and begin to promote the prevention, treatment, cure and safeguarding of those areas which are most at-risk and implement programs with ambitious short-and-long-term goals whose timetables and fulfillments can be accomplished, have discovered that by building a strong foundation of prevention, and proactively reaching into the community to correct the shortcomings before they spiral out-of-control, stand the best chance of maintaining the equilibrium that describes a vibrant society. Those who have experienced the benefits of living in a harmonious culture are reluctant to slip back into dysfunctional systems. Government intervention is necessary to guide and aid those in leadership roles whose suggestions and implementations satisfy the requirements and provide solutions for the social problems being addressed. The planners, architects, teachers, engineers, counselors and technicians who accomplish this shaping process are greatly aided by having observed other successful models such as job training and placement, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, mental health clinics, counseling programs, education, health evaluations, job corps programs, intervention in economically depressed communities where job losses due to changes in supply and demand or environmental degradation have been a part of job-loss and health and safety issues, proactive family counseling, bilingual education programs, judicial intervention when required to prevent discrimination and the entrenchment of vested-interests and class-warfare, to promote equal opportunity for all races and classes, regardless of disabilities, backgrounds and limitations associated with poor infrastructure and other shortcomings, alcohol and drug programs which are based on top-down education and prevention, as well as bottom-to-top intervention and rehabilitation, health programs that emphasize wellness, discipline and long-range health maintenance, etc. Every nation has certain individuals and sometimes large numbers of exemplary individuals who have achieved high standards of excellence in many areas. These individuals are best prepared, with the governments’ help, to furnish the templates needed to bring about the changes in education and the accomplishment of sociological advancement. Why is it that a country like the United States has such enormous and ongoing problems with poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, sexual addiction and perversion, mental illness, lack of sufficient education, deterioration of overall health and well-being, apathy, malaise and the downward-spiral of quality-of-life issues, generally? There is an overall feeling that things are not as good as they once were, and that they are getting worse-by-the-minute. Everyone wants the government or SOMEONE ELSE to step up and solve these pressing issues, and no one seems to think themselves or anyone else capable of accomplishing the task. Here’s a great question for all of you procrastinators out there: How much longer should we wait before we start doing something about it? Shall we wait until we all experience another great depression? How about our own version of a Bolshevik Revolution? You do realize that it is much easier, cheaper and quicker to solve our social problems before they start, than wait until the whole world has noticed and demands an improvement? Well I, for one, do not believe that things are so hopelessly out-of-control that we should just drop-out, give-up, move to another country, or crawl-under-a-rock until things improve! We can begin, like any family, by addressing the chief concerns in a meaningful way, by having a round-table discussion for the purpose of prioritization and strategic planning. We say that these goals are too lofty and unreachable, when we haven’t taken the first step toward solution! This country was built by pioneers who had experienced failure, hardship and lack of opportunity in other countries, and who were determined that their children would have a better life with more opportunities here. Maybe what is lacking is that pioneer spirit which sacrifices comfort and convenience for the hard work and determination which is necessary to move us to the next level. Don’t tell me that this is impossible, when there are other countries that have solved a large portion of these sociological problems in-part or in-full. What we lack is the willingness to act. The conceit and buck-passing reminds me of Nero playing his harp while Rome burned. Oh, there will be lots of finger-pointing, when and if our country collapses, with no one willing to take the blame for allowing it to happen. Is anyone else concerned about all of this, or have you all gone to sleep, convinced that there is nothing more that can be done? Wake up! Let’s get organized and convince others to do the same. Don’t give up without a fight! This is our life, this is our country, and this is our time to make the most of every opportunity to improve our nation and set a good example for other nations. If we can’t get the job done, then we should get out of the way and let some other country shoulder the burden. Let’s just give up, and let some other country tell us how to live a proper existence. Let’s just give up and sit in our own stink, until we all get depressed and move somewhere else. Does this sound familiar? It should, because this is exactly the situation most of our relatives faced before they moved here! So why have we given up on our country? Don’t we have the means to improve it? Doesn’t our humanity have within it the same seed that enabled our forebears to build the nation we inherited? Why have we given up the dream and pursuit of excellence? Is life only about self-fulfillment? “Are we meant to get more than we give?” as the song says, “What’s it all about?” Come on! This isn’t good enough! We can do a better job here! We have to stop settling for less-than-the-best with our social problems. We need to pitch-in and help solve these problems while we still can, before we all move away, or are overrun by our betters! Are we a nation of has-beens, content with yesterday’s accomplishments, or will we discover a way to respond to these sociological concerns that will create a conscientious and enduring example for our children and world-neighbors? Let us decide that WE are the “someone else” that needs to approach these problems proactively, in a way that prevents their occurrence in the first place and treats their symptoms effectively and promptly. The sooner we get started, the more-likely we are to achieve our aim of a harmonious and beneficial society.
Mark Overt Skilbred
