April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ADVICE FOR GRADS
Let conscience be your guide
Give a little whistle! Give a little whistle!
When you meet temptation and the urge is very strong,
Give a little whistle! Give a little whistle!"
When my son Michael was small, he adored Walt Disney's "Pinocchio." Together with the video came the books, the backpack, the doll and the pajamas. He could recite much of the story, line by line.
All things considered - the money forked over to Disney, the endless bedtime readings, nightmares of Monstro the whale - there are far worse storylines that could have crept in to our home. "Pinocchio" holds some great lessons for all of us: Wishes really can come true. A lie does keep growing until it's as big as the nose on your face.
Learning to choose between right and wrong is probably the most fundamental lesson each of us can learn from the wooden puppet.
Michael just graduated from high school and I am delighted to say that the lessons seem to have stuck. He is an honorable kid, trustworthy and compassionate. He's a dreamer and a visionary, yet practical, reliable and responsible enough to hold a strong work ethic.
At a sports banquet prior to graduation, Michael was honored with letters, pins and plaques for his athletic abilities and leadership. His father and I beamed with pride. As we were leaving, I thanked the assistant principal for his support and affirmation of Michael over the past seven years.
He replied that it was easy, because "Michael is a good and decent human being." I swear, my heart burst; no award, trophy or scholarship could have meant more. My eyes met my husband's and together they exclaimed: "Yes! We did it!"
Is there a more important task facing us today than the moral education of our children? I think not. Read the headlines. They cry out for morality, decency and righteousness.
Congressman Anthony Weiner recently became just the latest in a long line of public figures in this country to admit to transgressions and moral lapses with regard to their commitments and behavior.
The list of politicians seems endless: Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, John Edwards, Arnold Schwarzenegger - their indiscretions further complicated by their lies and cover-ups.
It's irrelevant if they were Democrats or Republicans. It doesn't matter if it was an intern, a prostitute, a mistress or a housemaid. And it makes no difference if it was actual sex or virtual sex. It's not about the sex. It's about poor judgment, disrespect and broken promises.
Basic trust is a critical component of public service. They blew it.
Misbehavior is not limited to political figures. In the recent past, celebrities in the wide world of sports have offered us sexual misconduct, unlawful dog-fighting and gambling, criminal possession of loaded weapons and lots of illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
It's all about cheating, in more ways than one. Don't even get me started about the moral bankruptcy of television and Hollywood these days!
With role models like these in politics, sports and the media, is it any wonder our children are learning moral relativism and growing up with an overwhelming sense of entitlement? The message they constantly hear is that there are no moral absolutes. Individual choice prevails. Anything goes. It's all good.
It's not all good. There is good and there is evil in this world; there is right and there is wrong; there is truth and there is deception. Each of us must help the young people in our lives to form their conscience with the Judeo-Christian standards that remain the foundation of civil law and society.
Stronger efforts must be directed toward teaching the young the values of love and loyalty, self-control, discipline, honesty, compassion and respect for others. These responsibilities are at the core of our Catholic teaching and are all embodied in the Ten Commandments - and they begin at home.
I pray that the young graduates of today have been reinforced with these essential principles, so they won't need a cricket on their shoulder to whistle to for guidance every time they meet temptation.
They have so much more than Jiminy Cricket: They have the voice of God. All they have to do is be still and listen.
(Kathleen Gallagher is director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops.)[[In-content Ad]]
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