The present age is one of transition. We have seen a breakaway from imposed authority and discipline. The result of the breakdown of an old order often appears as a vacuum, and because imposed discipline has not given place to self discipline, there frequently seems to be no discipline at all. Liberty, which really is the freedom to do what one ought rather than what one wants, is more generally understood as license. The disappearance of much formal religious observance has not necessarily been succeeded by a greater awareness of what Christ Jesus meant when he said, "The kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21. The result is that the supreme allegiance tends to be to oneself, with all the imbalance this implies between privilege and duty, rights and responsibilities, taking and giving.
In turn, the vacuum is being filled all too often by disturbing elements. Political and industrial anarchy go unchecked; the power of small groups to coerce others increases; hatred, envy, suspicion, and greed seem to predominate, and idealism stops short at opportunism.
Certainly, one may say, these are generalities. Strands of compassion, care, and idealism are woven into the fabric of society as much now as ever. But behind the political, social, and economic crises that confront us, isn't there some deeper moral malaise?
