Kids are pressured to follow the trend of the other kids, whether it is the latest in shoes, clothes or music. So many wear their caps back to front that you wonder if the peak was actually designed to keep the sun out of their eyes or off their necks. They are the products of the society we have made. Some schools manage to build up a counter culture that is moral and free and builds alternative communities that enable the kids to be far happier, but it is a struggle. A struggle for the nation.
Adults find the same.
In a work situation, family, society, church or neighbourhood where honesty, caring for others and delight in the achievement of everyone is the norm, people will be fulfilled. Modern Western behaviour focuses so much on aggressive competition, selling yourself, beating your rivals, getting ahead, making a quicker buck, that the sense of getting our act together as a community has largely been destroyed. TALK BACK Have your say Click here. Mass media are a dominant influence on public opinion, for their news stories, advertisements and their opinion pieces. The United Kingdom newspapers available in our shops are an interesting commentary on Western society.