Boundaries

     Recently a television show we have watched for quite awhile stepped over a line I felt uncomfortable crossing. Whether watching television, a movie, reading a book, or even listening to a song or radio station, we have no control over what is coming next and can be taken by surprise. The same could even be said about topics of conversation. We used to be able to rely on movie ratings to let us know if there might be something "objectionable" to an age group. We used to be able to trust that anything on television during the early evening would be acceptable for family members. We no longer expect women to wear skirts down to the ankle (except in certain cultures) which allows a more relaxed dress standard. However, there is definitely a "slippery slope" when it comes to social morality. I was a child of the 60's, "peace, love, dope" and "if it feels good, do it". There was a concerted effort to do away with social boundaries and work toward accepting anyone and anything. That was an important step for allowing women to receive the same wages as men for the same work. It was an important message to anyone who felt that a person's skin color determined their character or intelligence. It was a good thing to try to do away with causing people to feel like social outcasts if they didn't fit a certain mold. HOWEVER, once the pendulum started swinging in the direction of avoiding moral standards, it continues to gain distance from having any awareness of what might be right and healthy for humans. Addiction is being labeled as a disease rather than a choice. True, once you have an addiction, in order to escape it must be treated as a disease but initially, IT IS A CHOICE that can be avoided. It shouldn't be a "bad" thing to discourage alcohol consumption, smoking of any kind, the use of drugs to "feel good", or sex outside of marriage (including porn which is a kind of mental sexual activity). This should not be considered a restriction to someone's freedom to be what they want to be. We can see the standards slipping farther and farther down the slope. But how do we know where and when to put on our own personal brakes and decide we're not going to go to certain movies rather than risk offensive images or language or themes? How do we decide what books might be worth reading and what might just put garbage into our heads?
We have made it a habit to avoid watching network tv. We don't bother paying to receive any kind of satellite or cable availability. That is partly because there is so little in programming that we want to see and partly because the commercials are as objectionable as the objectionable programs! However, even through the internet and other methods, commercials are unavoidable. We are really weary of hearing about erectile dysfunction. So, I have no idea how to remain living in the world, aware enough to be a participating citizen yet remain distant from undesirable influences. I don't want to resort to only reading or watching things my church puts out. That will certainly put major limits on my education and awareness of the world more than I would want. I want to remain hopeful, positive, pleasant, and try to be Christlike. It's just about impossible to do that if you expose yourself to the world very much. I have had all I want (and then some!) of cynicism, hate, violence, greed, pride, and selfishness. I rely on the Holy Ghost to guide me. That's about the only real help there is. But the only way I can maintain a connection to the Holy Ghost is to be a worthy vessel. That means staying away from the cynicism, hatred, violence, etc. It's a constant battle.