Conviction

I must precede this entry with a short disclaimer: I do not mean to judge persons, nor hearts, only what actions were displayed and what things were said.

Finally it has dawned upon me some reasons behind much that is wrong with our society. People are becoming desensitized to proper and improper behavior and dress, or I should specify, the difference between. Gone are any sense of decorum, pleasantries, or intelligent conversation. Perhaps it is only true with the younger generation. I am ashamed to say, my generation. Having had a Christ-motivated conviction of my speech, manner and dress, my eyes have been opened to the ugliness of my generation's state. Ugly words, ugly clothes, ugly music, ugly displays of sensual overload and ugly disregard for anything noble.
I went out to dinner with a group of peers to celebrate a friend's birthday. I was truly embarrassed by the behavior and crudeness displayed at table. There were eleven of us, and only four people presented halfway decent conversation. I would bet that anyone from that evening reading this would view my critique as old-fashioned, snobby, over-scrutinizing, or whatever else comes to mind. That only goes to show how lowered our standards of propriety are, and how acceptable impropriety is in public.
I felt ashamed as well of the ensembles my friends were wearing. I know I stood out, and I hadn't meant to, but in the end I'm glad I did. The girls looked alluring, but do they really want to be objectified deep in the heart (and ding-dong) of every male they pass? I have dressed that way in the past, so don't think I don't understand. Our society has taught us that it's favorable to be sexy. If you've got it, flaunt it, right? And how do you think that affects a man's psyche?
We complained that the men with us were the opposite of gentlemen. Truly, we as a group did not look or behave like ladies. I would confess that not all of us were unladylike in our manner, yet dress is another issue. In general, we should understand that by clothing, carriage and speech, young women encourage these men in their ungentlemanly behavior. We cannot rightly ask where have all the gentlemen gone if we are unwilling to present ourselves as ladies, putting our beauties out there for all to see. Many years of this have supported and unwittingly encouraged a generation of less than honorable young men. We should feel shame, not pride.