Irony plagues the media coverage surrounding the recent deaths of two famous people; Anna Nicole Smith and Kurt Vonnegut (I cringe even placing them in the same sentence.) Anna Nicole Smith, whose story has been played and replayed in the media for the past couple weeks, represents much of what has gone awry in our society. The focus on physical perfection and beauty, the portrayal of women as nothing more than a piece of meat and the flagrant display of sexual behavior with disregard for human dignity, privacy and morals.
Contrasted to the media coverage for Kurt Vonnegut, an author and philosopher, who utilized his incredible expressive abilities to educate the world and promote wholeness and goodness, trying to raise the moral standards of society. Tributes to him were written up in newspapers around the world but have ceased merely a few days after his passing.
Considering that the news only prints what will sell, it is a wonder that news of Smith's death continues to appear in various national media (even in Forbes magazine) whereas Vonnegut's death has stopped attracting mass attention. It seems as though society has more interest in gossip, sex and scandals than philosophy, academia, and morals. Granted the controversial circumstances, when the world mourns the death of a sex symbol for almost two months, yet after a few days pretty much disregards the death of a brilliant and moral writer, something is off kilter.
In an age where rap music climbs the charts, gigantic ads of scantily clad models stare down at you in the heart of Manhattan, teenage pregnancy (and abortion) is on the rise and the average age for physical intimacy has decreased to the ripe old age of 15, I am forced to wonder where our morals and values have gone. What are we teaching ourselves and our children if the concepts of modesty, privacy and boundaries no longer exist in our world? Where are our priorities? How does it happen that a nation founded on principles of morality has spiraled to one that promotes such immorality?
The root of modesty is the acknowledgment of the worth of a life, the recognition that a person is comprised of more than a body, that there is a soul that is the true life force of the person and the body merely serves to clothe the soul in order for it to achieve its purpose in this world. Modesty is about having high expectations for your personal behavior about raising the bar higher with each passing day and reaching a point of transcendence where our thoughts, speech and actions are for a purpose beyond ourselves. They become about building the world and others and not promoting ourselves.
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Our founding fathers were men of action who realized that it was time to break free of the destructive bonds of the British monarchy and utilize their powers as humans to create a better future for the coming generations. They founded this country with integrity, values, a concept of building and caring for the world that was bestowed upon us and an awareness of G-d and His goodness. Some point throughout history the declaration of independence, where they espoused these values, began to lose some of its impact and meaning and has becoming a historical document that we read, but not necessarily one that we live by and study so we can keep up the integrity of their intents. Their beliefs stemmed from a deeper place, the wisdom of the Torah, which defines the values they laid out in clear terms.
At the core of each and every person there lies a yearning for clarity, for truth. Along with that core comes a animalistic aspect to humanity, one that when harnessed and channeled towards the pursuit of truth can break incredible bounds, but when used for the furtherance of its own desires can lead to destruction. Many revolutions in history were a result of the recognition that their lives were not ones of truth and integrity. That they were not allowed the freedom to utilize their talents and promote goodness and building in the world.
This was the deeper intent of the founding fathers when they said life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These three dictates were about building, not destroying. They were about the equal ability and right of each and every person to lead a life-be allowed to live and grow and choose their path in life. A life that is liberating, not free from all obligations to humanity but liberating, not free to create chaos, but liberated to create clear boundaries. And to pursue happiness, to seek out your unique role in the world and find joy in it.
We must tap back into our roots, the roots of integrity and boundaries, of a G-d awareness, which provides us with a sense of responsibility to our world and the people who inhabit it. Only then will we be able to create a fully functioning, whole and healthy world, a world of builders not of destroyers, a world that praises and acknowledges those who enhance the G-Dliness in this world and scorns those who reject and discard the G-Dliness in this world. A place where we can cultivate a true sense of modesty.
