Have people lost self respect in today's world? Judging by their thoughts on bodily harm through drinking etc.

Question

People seem to think of drinking, smoking, drugs, sleeping around etc. as being fun. Television promotes this. True love has gone out of the window for most and they seek lust. Do you guys think that people have lost their self respect and hide the disgust of their innerselves (both literally and figuratively) under make up etc.? Does this world need a hero or heroes to inspire it to grow and advance? I remember that I was inspired to grow by focusing on the right and ignoring the wrong as everyone knows right from wrong. I also watched movies like rocky, children of men, vanilla sky etc. which influenced me in terms of appreciating honour, love and myself as well as others around me.

Thanks

Answer 1

Firstly, I think it is important to quantify the above first sentence for my own piece of mind. Any of the above actions which society regards as essentially negative is ok in moderation. It is when these actions move on from being under control and into the field of excess and addiction that problems begin to occur, mostly for the person involved in these pursuits.

All four of these pursuits are addictive and people turn to them for varying reasons; not just in the pursuit of pleasure. What begins as pleasure may increasingly become a vice that literally 'grabs a hold of you' depending on how fulfilled you are in other areas of your life.

I believe and have experienced that true addiction in these areas stems from a desire to escape reality often fuelled by deep unhappiness within.

This unhappiness often starts with the influence of external sources; when somebody has had something occur in their life that has deeply affected them pyschologically and emotionally causing trauma.

It would be easy to point the finger and say 'no self-respect' - that is the ultimate conclusion but first comes fear, unhappiness, anger, loss of self esteem, self-loathing and loss of faith in life in general with no particular order of events.

It is a passive form of anger called self-harm where people knowingly harm themselves rather than deliberately harm others around them. It is also a passive cry for help that often goes unheard by judgemental people.

It doesn't matter how positive our background, personal tradegy can strike us at any moment in time and we cannot know for sure how WE would reacte in similar circumstances.

It is all too easy judge at face value - lets try to see beyond the outside and understand what's going on in the inside before we truly judge.

On the subject of young people, this is experimentation and most of them, when enough experience has been had, move on to better things. It is our culture of excess that promotes this kind of behaviour not the youths themselves.

Answer 2

You have your own perceptions towards this matter.

Answer 3

I feel the same way as you. No one gives a **** about self respect anymore; nobody cares about love or commitment. The world is just one big party to the young generation of today. I am apart of this generation and I feel so out of place given my high morals and values. While everyone is out drinking, partying, having s*x on a Saturday night, I'm at home wishing there someone out there like me.