In 1989, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in the Vatican came out with a pastoral instruction on the evils of pornography and violence. This pastoral letter addresses seven sectors in our society; the professional communicators, parents, educators, youth, the general public, public authorities and the Church and religious groups, who have the moral obligation to be vigilant and take the necessary action regarding this matter when necessary.
The proliferation of pornographic materials has indeed increased in an alarming proportion at this point in time. We are not only talking here of bold movies being shown on theaters but also of television programs both local and foreign that enter our homes indiscriminately. Many of these programs are too vulgar and reek of promiscuity. Let us not forget the pocketbooks whose main target audience is the youth. These romances, mostly with graphic description of sexual encounters, sell like hotcakes to young people. Comics and tabloids also print stories with graphic sex scenes. On a less pornographic side but with sexually suggestive images are the MTV’s and some advertisements shown on television.
The Pastoral Instruction mentions that “even the so called ‘soft core’ pornography can have a desensitizing effect, gradually rendering individuals morally numb and personally insensitive to the rights and dignity of others.” Too much exposure to bad media has a numbing effect on the senses of the viewer. This desensitizing effect can lead the person to absorb everything he/she sees and act accordingly without becoming aware of the moral implications of his/her actions.
Some time ago I read a confession of a young mother whose husband consistently abused their two young daughters sexually. The woman discovered the husband’s addiction to pornographic materials but she did not react until it was too late. Situations such as this make us sit up and realize the gravity of problem our society is facing.
Sexual violence, however, is only one aspect of the problem. The other face of violence that media continuously assail our senses with is physical violence. They are as inundating as pornographic materials. The desensitizing effect of media violence on the viewers is as grave as pornography. I wrote once that seeing children (my nephews are not exempt) enjoy viewing violent programs on television, even clapping with misplaced glee when the good guy torture and kills the bad guy, really sends some chilling signals down my spine. The youth and children often end up as the innocent victims of media violence. Children most especially are often not capable to distinguish between reality and fantasy with regards to what they see on television or other forms of media. The various killings that happened in recent years both here and abroad perpetrated by deranged young people were like copycats of violent movies shown on movie theaters.
People in media who are engaged in this kind of trafficking (whether in print or electronic media) are often motivated by the big bucks they get in return. They seem to forget that they have also a sense of moral responsibility to fulfill. “The legitimate rights to free expression and free exchange of information must be respected, but so must the rights of individuals, families and society itself to privacy, public decency and the protection of basic values.”(Pornography and Violence).
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Sunday, October 17, 1999
‘We Reap what We Sow’
While surfing the Internet one evening looking for some interesting material to discover, I stumbled upon MediaWatch. I discovered that this website counteract secular media bias by reporting with a Godly perspective. I got intrigued. This is not a Catholic group. My best guess is it is interdenominational. They have a mailing list so I sent my name for subscription. I have received so far some interesting materials on various topics.
Recently I got this thought-provoking essay in my electronic mail box lamenting on what is happening with our youth today. Although the essay reflects on the circumstances occurring in the life of the American youth at present, the situation in our country is not also very far behind.
What in the world is happening with our kids today? Let’s see…
It started when somebody in school complained that she didn’t want any prayer in our schools, and we said okay.
Then someone said you had better not read the Bible in school – the Bible that says thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, okay.
Remember Dr. Benjamin Spock, who said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem? And we said, okay, we wouldn’t spank them even though the Bible says ‘spare the rod and you’ll spoil the child.’
Then someone said, let’s let our daughters have abortions if they want or give them birth control pills, and we won’t even have to tell their parents. And we said that’s a grand idea.
Then someone else said, let’s give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the ‘fun’ they desire, and we won’t have to tell their parents. And we said that’s another grand idea.
Then someone said, let’s teach and discuss sex in the classroom instead of allowing morals to be presented hand in hand with a love-based sexual relationship and sex knowledge by parents.
And then families decided that going to Church was just for the preacher’s family only. That it was not necessary to raise kids in church. That the parents would never have to answer to God for not teaching their children about God, Hell, the Bible and the needs to be spiritually healthy.
So now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they do not know right from wrong, why sex is no longer an act of love, why there are no spiritual values, no morals instilled in our children and why it doesn’t bother them to kill.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “we reap what we sow.”
The above reflection is a sad picture of what is happening among the youth today, not only in America but in other western countries as well. Shall we include our own country too? We are a Catholic nation, yet it is a stark reality before our eyes that more and more our youth needed guidance. We can only lament and beat our breasts on the kind of news that we hear and read about our young actors and actresses who are supposed to be role models to our young people.
The essay speaks of the responsibility of Church, school and family in instilling good behavior and morality in the children. However, there is another important factor that should not be overlooked. Media are the fourth element that plays a great responsibility in the life of kids (and adults as well) today. Oftentimes, the balance is tipped with media taking the upper hand against Church, family and school. Why is this so? We have allowed media to invade our homes and take control of our lives. The advertising industry rakes in millions of pesos at our expense, indoctrinating us to the ideology of hedonism and self-gratification. Who says we get commercials on television free? On the contrary, we are the ones who pay the advertisers by spending on their products. We accept unwittingly as gospel values the lies the advertising industry throws into our face. Now do we still wonder, why most of our well-kept sense of Christian values seemed to have evaporated in thin air? Indeed, “we reap what we sow.” But we have to make sure we sow the good seeds instead of the bad ones. There lies the challenge for all of us.
Recently I got this thought-provoking essay in my electronic mail box lamenting on what is happening with our youth today. Although the essay reflects on the circumstances occurring in the life of the American youth at present, the situation in our country is not also very far behind.
What in the world is happening with our kids today? Let’s see…
It started when somebody in school complained that she didn’t want any prayer in our schools, and we said okay.
Then someone said you had better not read the Bible in school – the Bible that says thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, okay.
Remember Dr. Benjamin Spock, who said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem? And we said, okay, we wouldn’t spank them even though the Bible says ‘spare the rod and you’ll spoil the child.’
Then someone said, let’s let our daughters have abortions if they want or give them birth control pills, and we won’t even have to tell their parents. And we said that’s a grand idea.
Then someone else said, let’s give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the ‘fun’ they desire, and we won’t have to tell their parents. And we said that’s another grand idea.
Then someone said, let’s teach and discuss sex in the classroom instead of allowing morals to be presented hand in hand with a love-based sexual relationship and sex knowledge by parents.
And then families decided that going to Church was just for the preacher’s family only. That it was not necessary to raise kids in church. That the parents would never have to answer to God for not teaching their children about God, Hell, the Bible and the needs to be spiritually healthy.
So now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they do not know right from wrong, why sex is no longer an act of love, why there are no spiritual values, no morals instilled in our children and why it doesn’t bother them to kill.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “we reap what we sow.”
The above reflection is a sad picture of what is happening among the youth today, not only in America but in other western countries as well. Shall we include our own country too? We are a Catholic nation, yet it is a stark reality before our eyes that more and more our youth needed guidance. We can only lament and beat our breasts on the kind of news that we hear and read about our young actors and actresses who are supposed to be role models to our young people.
The essay speaks of the responsibility of Church, school and family in instilling good behavior and morality in the children. However, there is another important factor that should not be overlooked. Media are the fourth element that plays a great responsibility in the life of kids (and adults as well) today. Oftentimes, the balance is tipped with media taking the upper hand against Church, family and school. Why is this so? We have allowed media to invade our homes and take control of our lives. The advertising industry rakes in millions of pesos at our expense, indoctrinating us to the ideology of hedonism and self-gratification. Who says we get commercials on television free? On the contrary, we are the ones who pay the advertisers by spending on their products. We accept unwittingly as gospel values the lies the advertising industry throws into our face. Now do we still wonder, why most of our well-kept sense of Christian values seemed to have evaporated in thin air? Indeed, “we reap what we sow.” But we have to make sure we sow the good seeds instead of the bad ones. There lies the challenge for all of us.
Sunday, October 3, 1999
Canadian Impressions (last of three parts)
After I came back from my vacation, somebody (upon knowing that I visited British Columbia) asked me whether I had gone to Victoria. When I said yes, she enthusiastically shared her impression of the place. She had visited the place sometime ago, according to her. Obviously she enjoyed very much her visit as much as I did. I guess everybody who had gone to the place will not have enough of it. The whole island is simply a tourist’s haven. For a nature lover, the place is paradise. On weekends, the place is packed not only with foreign visitors but also Canadians coming from the mainland who spend their weekend on the island whale watching, fishing, swimming or surfing.
There are least two ferry terminals in Victoria that service motorists to the mainland and another three that service those coming from Washington, USA. It is a pleasant ride of one and half-hours on the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver to Victoria.
Victoria is located on the tip of 300-mile long Vancouver Island and regarded as the vacation capital of British Columbia. There are many interesting sites and historical landmarks in the city. One of these is the Bastion Square, once the site of public hangings in the 19th century. The buildings around the square are former warehouses and hotels, most of which had a wild reputation in those early days. Today, however, the square is a cosmopolitan meeting place where boutiques, souvenir shops, galleries, offices and restaurants are an added attraction.
Another place that must not be missed in Victoria is the Butchart Gardens, world renowned for its exquisite display of flowering plants throughout the year. There are various flowers on display according to seasons. The garden is situated on 50 acres of land, part of the 130-acre estate of Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Butchart for whom the garden was named. According to history, it all started in 1908, when Mrs. Butchart filled with topsoil an abandoned quarry near their house and planted it with beautiful flowers. This later on became known as the sunken garden, one of Butchart Gardens’ main attractions.
This island city is also called the city of gardens because of the abundance of flowers growing not only in one’s own backyard but also along the roads. Wild flowers grow profusely along the highways. It is a common sight to see flowers for sale along the roads.
The island is so quiet and laid back. But I guess it is one of the many things that make the place so appealing. It is no wonder so many artists and writers reside in the island. For anyone who has been born and bred in the city, this place offers a totally different feeling and ambience.
As locals would wont to say, the visit to Victoria and the whole of the island is guaranteed to fill not only one’s camera with wonderful pictures but also the heart with wonderful memories.
There are least two ferry terminals in Victoria that service motorists to the mainland and another three that service those coming from Washington, USA. It is a pleasant ride of one and half-hours on the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver to Victoria.
Victoria is located on the tip of 300-mile long Vancouver Island and regarded as the vacation capital of British Columbia. There are many interesting sites and historical landmarks in the city. One of these is the Bastion Square, once the site of public hangings in the 19th century. The buildings around the square are former warehouses and hotels, most of which had a wild reputation in those early days. Today, however, the square is a cosmopolitan meeting place where boutiques, souvenir shops, galleries, offices and restaurants are an added attraction.
Another place that must not be missed in Victoria is the Butchart Gardens, world renowned for its exquisite display of flowering plants throughout the year. There are various flowers on display according to seasons. The garden is situated on 50 acres of land, part of the 130-acre estate of Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Butchart for whom the garden was named. According to history, it all started in 1908, when Mrs. Butchart filled with topsoil an abandoned quarry near their house and planted it with beautiful flowers. This later on became known as the sunken garden, one of Butchart Gardens’ main attractions.
This island city is also called the city of gardens because of the abundance of flowers growing not only in one’s own backyard but also along the roads. Wild flowers grow profusely along the highways. It is a common sight to see flowers for sale along the roads.
The island is so quiet and laid back. But I guess it is one of the many things that make the place so appealing. It is no wonder so many artists and writers reside in the island. For anyone who has been born and bred in the city, this place offers a totally different feeling and ambience.
As locals would wont to say, the visit to Victoria and the whole of the island is guaranteed to fill not only one’s camera with wonderful pictures but also the heart with wonderful memories.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)