Where Has Common Decency Gone?

I was made aware of a terrible story a few days ago on my Facebook account. It was the story of the decline of common decency in this age of "Me". It seems that our society has devolved into a state that is nothing short of repulsive. People are so wound up in their own little worlds that they have stopped caring about the needs of their fellow man.


This story was about a funeral procession that included a horse drawn hearse carrying the dearly departed to his final resting place. As the cortage proceeded on it's way, there was a woman in an SUV who apparently had to be somewhere fast and had no intention on allowing a dead man slow her down. As a result of her haste, she proceeded to pass the procession in the oncoming lane of traffic. As she reached the hearse, at the front of the line, she came head on with oncoming traffic. To avoid a head on collision, she attempted to swerve back into the lane she belonged in. She misjudged the distance and found herself on top of the horse that was pulling the hearse. The violent collision took the horse down and left him mortally wounded. The emergency personnel on the scene decided that the humane thing to do was to put the horse down where he laid.

The tragedy of the situation, other than the obvious outcome for the horse was the horror that this poor family was forced to witness on this very solemn occasion. This woman's lack of common decency will forever be burned into the minds of the loved ones whose desire was to provide the dearly departed with an elegant ride to his final resting place.

Reading this story has brought back a very touching image that was burned into my memory when I was a little boy. Our family had just lost one of the most important people in my life, my Grandmother, Sallie Hickey. Granny, as she was known to us, was without a doubt one of the most gentle and loving women that I have ever had the privilege to know. Her passing was a devastating event in my young life. After her funeral was over we got into the limousines and began the procession to the cemetery out on the edge of town. As we were proceeding from the funeral home, working our way towards the highway that leads to the cemetery, we passed an elderly man, who appeared to be a farmer or a rancher in the area. In a show of respect for my dear Granny and her grieving family, he had pulled his car to the side of the road, stepped out and stood beside it. He then removed his cowboy hat and stood with his head bowed as we passed by. Even as an eight year old boy, I understood what his gesture meant. What he probably did not realize was the fact that his act of respect was witnessed by a little eight year old boy whose life had just been turned upside down. His act of common decency was forever burned into my mind and has worked to help shape the man I am today. I just wonder what message this woman's selfishness left on any of this Gentleman's grandchildren who witnessed her act of disrespect.

We truly need to return to the age of common decency that used to be the normal way of life in America. We need to slow down, turn off the cell phone and think about those who are around us that may be in need of our compassion. You never know what message you will place into the heart of a child whose world has been turned upside down.

... and that's my two pennies!