SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS TO PROGRESS

KENNETT, Mo. -- Without consciously realizing it, we Americans live under a variety of systems that run the ideological gamut from constitutional to religious to political to economic, not to mention social.

While there are other systems that dictate how we behave, react and try to adapt, the ones listed seem the most important to us, both in the short- and long-run.

We are, after all, interested in the constitutional statutes governing how we live our daily lives, and which are often more extensive, and sometimes far more restrictive, than we realize. These rules for our society regulate such a wide variety of conduct that it's almost impossible to list them all. But suffice it to note, these laws, rules and restraints govern how we live and with whom, how we conduct our public lives, how we operate our automobiles and even our lawnmowers, even how we dispose of our trash and garbage.

Although our Founders rejected yet another concept, quite prevalent in Europe and parts of Asia at the time, over the long haul we have hesitatingly embraced our own version of a theocracy since much of our conduct is already determined by standards put forth by the world's religions.

We judge these rules to be beneficial not only to ourselves but to society as a whole, and we advocate tenets of a wide variety of religions to regulate societal conduct and sometimes even bestow a kind of blessing on our individual lives and conduct.

Witness the politician who, upon addressing a throng of potential supporters, invokes the presence of God on the audience, particularly as he or she likens the agenda of his own political platform to the wishes and desires of the Heavenly Father. Political junkies have likely been blessed more times at party rallies than Roman Catholics who seek divine favor from the Holy See.

Often overlooked, however, in the consideration of the rules of life and their sources, is yet another law that has a not inconsiderable influence on how our society conducts itself and how it behaves. I'm not sure anyone has defined this category, but for want of a better term, let's use Cause and Effect, which may not be entirely appropriate but will have to serve until historians provide one.

It seems to me that Cause and Effect has a far greater influence on our lives than either of America's political parties can exert, and even what can be ascribed to our environment of our economic standing or even our social status. Not that these aren't important influences on our everyday lives, but many of the day's events seem more dependent on cause than the latest political, economic and even the moral events that impact on contemporary society.

For example, if one were looking for one word to describe life in our country today, it might be "confusion" or "turmoil" or "foreboding." While our lives might not be constantly submerged in a tumultuous sea, we sense that societal eruptions are possible, perhaps even probable, since we have personally endured them.

One of the most recent tempests in American life has been the introduction of machinery that allows us to communicate with just about anyone around the world, yet one of the effects of this scientific marvel has been its use for illegal and immoral means. Our law enforcement officials are even taking step to monitor the use of electronic gadgetry by those harboring venal intentions.

One hates to believe that e-mail and various other communication systems have become the property of sexual deviates, child abusers and immoral/illegal predators yet there is considerable evidence that unsuspecting or uninformed portion of our society are paying a terrible price, with the very least punitive effect being the loss of personal privacy, which can hardly be classified as minor.

The C&E effects in today's society seem innumerable. Consider the upward mobility of hard-working men and women who, upon achieving economic success, venture from their old neighborhoods and head for the suburbs, where they envision a life of tranquility, better schools for their children and remote neighborhoods that offer all the benefits that money can buy. The dramatic suburbanization of America has created, instead, neighborhoods as crowded as the old ones, schools marred by crowded classrooms and tax bases inadequate to meet curriculum needs. Travel time to work has become a daily nightmare for millions of us, with crowded highways being the norm, with millions required for remedy.

The post-World War II era, which promised Americans an end to the world's deadliest totalitarian regimes, produced yet another one that lasted until its economy collapsed within itself nearly a half-century later. America has remained immune from scores of other wars still being fought about the globe, and what was once envisioned as a time of world peace and brotherhood still remains a universe filled with hatred, destruction and death.

We are told this is the age of technology, and indeed there are numerous scientific advances that at some level make our lives easier, yet instead of graceful retirement for elderly workers, we have found Alzheimer's, new forms of cancer and childhood mental illnesses that affect one in 10. Technology has added to our life-years but it has been powerless to protect a growing number of us from pain and suffering.

Affluent America has also become the world's largest consumer of addictive drugs, the use of which is not reflection of contented, productive lives, but the sign of disenchantment, disappointment and despair. Declared or not, our war on illegal drugs is simply one of many battles yet to be fought and won: High criminality, moral misbehavior, overflowing jails, family disintegration and divorce, and countless signs of public apathy.

Modern progress challenges us to resolve the effects it creates. It is not an insignificant task in a society of attention deficit disorder.

~Jack Stapleton is the editor of Missouri News & Editorial Service.