Radio Commentary
Dwight Moody once said that
“Character is what you are in the dark.”
In the current national climate of
attack and shrillness, it seems more important than ever to make sure our young
people acquire the core values of honesty and decency.
This idea is
not new. Several years ago major corporate employers rated the five traits most
and least important to them in an employee.
The highest rankings were all “work
ethic” items: arriving on time, not stealing, putting in a full day’s work,
being reliable.
Interestingly,
the lowest-rated items were academic background, knowledge and experience.
Author Rushworth Kidder reinforced
these findings through his own research. He pointed to troublesome indications
that adults’ ethics have been moving in the wrong direction.
Today we can cite hedge fund
managers and a broad range of banking and white-collar fraud.
The good news is that a large
portion of the public has noticed and seems to care.
Several schools throughout our
county have been using constructive programs that provide values education.
The Anti-Defamation League’s
programs, “A World of Difference,” and “No Place for Hate,” are excellent, and
the Beyond Tolerance Center is a resource hub for educators at every level. The
common thread is that important values are selected, discussed, and practiced.
No one institution is responsible
for the challenges that face our youths and adults today, and no one
institution can solve the problems in isolation. I applaud our public schools
for becoming an increasingly large part of the effort.
