Laws Can't Do What Only Character Can

We've forgotten the paramount importance of character and all that it takes to cultivate it. History teaches there is no substitute for a healthily developed human being. In the wake of tragedy, it's natural to look for answers. But we delude ourselves when we think that rules, laws, and structures can do what only character can. Experiencing bullying is not new. Feeling estranged from and rejected by others is not new. Feeling so hurt and mad at the world that you want to lash out, is also not new. What's new is the impact decades of a culture steeped in entitlement, releativism, and permissiveness, has had on our individual and collective character development. Character matters; always has, always will. And we used to afford it more attention and effort. If no one has the will to pay attention to a yield sign, bite their tongue when tempted to say that hurtful thing to their partner that they know will damage the relationship, or refrain from making a vulgar gesture when someone offends, how can we expect self-control when it seems the world has hurt you so badly you want to lash out? We need laws, to be sure. But they are no substitute for a well-formed character. And we need character today perhaps more than ever. Time to reclaim its importance and reinvest in all that it takes to instill it in our children, ourselves, and one another!