Fatherhood

            I was happy to see that mine was not the only letter to the editor last week [Perquimans Weekly 3/28/18] praising James Rennie for speaking out to his classmates on their individual responsibility for each other.  I would like him to go even further.

            One of the great shortcomings of our society is the failure to adequately impress upon our young people the responsibilities of fatherhood.  “Graduate from school, find a good job, get married, have children—in that order” is more than a good idea; it is arguably the key to success, not just for future parents, but most importantly for their children. Nothing contributes more to perpetuating the cycle of poverty and increasing the probability of juvenile delinquency than births out of wedlock, single parenthood, and the absence of a male role model in the home.

            There is no question that an increasingly secular society that rejects moral standards is very much at fault. It idolizes money and power; it mocks religion and the values of a cultured society; it celebrates an entertainment industry that preys on youthful fascination for violence and titillates pubescent curiosity about sex with pornography; it champions the aberrant above the traditional and denies the rights of the unborn. In short, it destroys the innocence of our children.

            It is an almost impossible task for untrained minds to discern the truth in a media and academic environment that too often bends the truth to promote a progressive society that our founders would not recognize. Yet, there are young voices, like James Rennie’s, that are heard in the wilderness. They need to be encouraged to speak out about responsibility and accountability—about young men and their need to acknowledge and embrace their future roles as responsible fathers.