Standards – they come in innumerable forms from dress codes, to grading scales, to quality control measures, and they affect everything we do. C. S. Lewis even tries to show in his “moral argument” that there is an objective moral law written on the heart of every man whereby he knows what is objectively right and wrong regardless of whether he chooses to follow it.
Whether these standards are inherent to us as humans, as Lewis argues, or they are products of enculturation, everyone knows what they are. Thus, when things seem amiss we know where to look to the violated standard or lack thereof. I am not alone in making such an observation. Ronald Reagan, Russell Kirk, T. S. Elliot and Edmund Burke all maintained that there are certain fundamental principles and moral standards that are necessary for society to flourish as the article, My Reagan Diary, discusses.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Americans are working hard to ensure that the 2004 Presidential Election lives up to important standards of excellence and integrity. Thus, it will seem like a breath of fresh air to discover the amazing grassroots initiatives that Secretaries of State from across the Country are developing in their states to improve the civic involvement and voting levels among 18-24 year-olds.
The election aside, there are other important standards worth considering that affect us on a day-to-day basis here at St. Thomas. If you’ve heard the media’s reviews of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, I would encourage you to read Laurel Stack’s editorial where she calls those who claim this movie is anti-Semitic to carefully analyze the integrity of their critical standards.
No pun intended, I hope that this issue of The St. Thomas Standard helps to bring to light some of the important standards and principles that should guide our behavior on a day-to-day basis and which are crucial to the longevity and success of any community.
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