Responsibility

I am often taken aback by the sad way in which society views the world today. I see a people who look at situations where responsibility is demanded as confining and worrying. I see a generation of teens who think to one day grow up and live with a significant other instead of being married. A society where, when angry, you can drop a curse word or a racial slur and drive away without the thought of having to answer for those actions. Where nobody has a stance because they are so convinced that it will destroy someone's, if not their own, freedom.
What is this? Some sort of fad? Most people that i know with the truest character and highest morals are thought of as old fashioned or old school. Cant the current generations claim some sort of responsibility? cant the world see their direction? A society based on no accountability will quickly lead to the total destruction of the family unit and, with it, society itself.
I am convinced that if the world could claim this responsibility and self respect, they would find true moral character. This can be hard to fight for at times but it is the very thing that one must fight for. What else matters?
Quick story:
I had a partner in employment that once taught me a valuable lesson. I, for a time, was a man very swayed by common opinion and peer pressure. My partner would often challenge me in my ideas and observations, not because he always disagreed, but that he was seeing how i might react when pressured. Sadly, at the time, i fell often to his pressures. I would make an observation or state an opinion like, "I like that kind of Car." My partner would then state all the reasons why the car was a mistake to like and why people who like that type of car are not very intelligent. I would then, in order to allow his opinion and avoid contention, state that i didnt like it all that much and that i agreed. This was not my opinion.
Needless to say, my partner loved the thought of toying with me. One day, i openly defended a point and stance and would not back down, despite his hammering. He sat back with a new found respect and said, "i guess we can agree to disagree." Which was his way of saying, good job of not being a push over.
This was the lesson learned: One only knows the depth of one's moral character when you choose to deny the way of the world and the public opinion and defend what you know is good and right. That is when you truly learn your values and morals. The moment when you take the responsibility of digging in and defending the truth.
Society, in it's steady decline, must take a stand. We must take responsibility for our fates and our sacred honors and fight for them. Then we must teach our children to value right and dismiss immorality. We live in whirlwind of opinions, anchored by what little absolute truths we've uncovered. we cannot be tossed about. we must choose to fight the storm and believe in our power over the winds that would destroy our focus.