“Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.”
— Proverbs 11:3 (NLT)
At 75 years old, I sometimes sit quietly and wonder what my mother and father would think if they could see America today. My father was born in 1906. My mother in 1909. They lived through world wars, the Great Depression, hard winters, and times when people survived because they trusted God, worked hard, and leaned on each other. They did not have much money, but they had values. A handshake meant something. A promise meant something. Children were taught respect, discipline, honesty, and responsibility at a young age. My parents were not perfect people, but they believed there were lines you simply did not cross. I often think they would be heartbroken by what they see now.
They would not understand how truth became something people argue about instead of something people live by. They would struggle watching news stations twist every story to fit political agendas while calling it journalism. They would shake their heads watching grown men and women scream at each other on television while millions sit divided and angry in their homes. They would never understand how drag shows became acceptable for children, why schools are confusing young minds about gender and identity, or why people are mocked today simply for believing the Bible.
My parents came from a generation that believed freedom required responsibility. Today many people believe freedom means doing whatever feels good without consequences. That change has damaged families, churches, schools, and communities. We now live in a culture where social media influencers have become role models, where young people spend more time learning from TikTok than from parents, pastors, or grandparents. Many people no longer ask, “Is this right?” They ask, “Will this make me happy?” or “Will this get attention?”
I believe one of the biggest reasons integrity has disappeared is because we stopped teaching people to fear God. When my parents were raising children, faith was not hidden in the corner of life. It shaped the home. It shaped decisions. It shaped how people treated others. Today God has been pushed out of schools, pushed out of public life, and in many cases pushed out of churches that no longer want to offend anyone. Once a nation stops answering to God, it begins answering only to itself, and that always leads to confusion.
I have watched our country slowly trade wisdom for feelings. People are encouraged to follow emotions instead of truth. Pride is celebrated while humility is ignored. Young people are told they can create their own truth, their own identity, and even their own morality. But without truth, people become lost. That is exactly what we are seeing now: anxiety, anger, depression, division, addiction, broken families, and confusion everywhere you look.
Still, after all these years, I believe there is hope.
The answer is not more political fighting or louder voices on social media. The answer is a return to God, family, truth, and personal responsibility. Parents must raise their children instead of letting culture raise them. Men must lead their homes with strength and humility. Churches must preach truth again without fear. And people like me, who have lived long enough to see the damage caused by moral compromise, must have the courage to speak honestly while there is still time.
At 75 years old, I have learned that integrity is not built during easy times. It is built when a person stands for what is right even when the world stands against them. My parents taught me that character matters more than popularity, truth matters more than comfort, and faith matters more than public approval. Looking at the world today, I realize how right they were all along.