One of the monumental omissions of modern life is the loss of awareness about values. This loss has become so prevalent that even educational institutions may back away from serious discussion about them. Some openly say they leave the topic to religion. But, ideals make quality persons and societies. If values were to return to their proper place in lives and society (beginning with individuals and families), for all human behavior, we would create a refreshed world that would restore: some ideals and meanings that have been lost or muted; some objectivity about the parameters of life; some clarity about how persons should function in all they think and do. Out of this renewal there would emerge heightened sense of what mankind is and how we ought to function in a world that is at odds with itself. Improvement for all is in it.
The above stands as general critique about values and their decline, there are some excellent academic voices giving attention to the matter. The political philosopher, Michael Sandel of Harvard University authored the book: What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets. His style is quite straightforward, without specialized jargon. It tells the sad story clearly, and notes possible solutions. Quoting from the book, Atlantic Magazine (04/2012) noted, as related to financial and business markets: . . . . markets have become detached from morals . . . we need to somehow reconnect the two. . . . Part of the appeal of markets is that they don’t pass judgment on the preferences they satisfy. . . . If someone is willing to pay for sex, or a kidney, and a consenting adult is willing to sell, the only question the economist asks is: How much? The local news just reported on a sex bar where human semen stained furniture and linen.
This non-evaluative stance toward values lies at the heart of market reasoning, and explains much of its appeal. But our reluctance to engage in moral and spiritual argument, together with our embrace of markets, has exacted a heavy price: it has drained public discourse of moral and civic energy, and contributed to the technocratic, managerial politics afflicting many societies.
A speaking engagement I fulfilled some decades ago still haunts me. As the president of a church related college, I was invited to speak at a school for morticians. They wanted to hear what a person with my orientation (spiritual context) for life would say to a group of mature students preparing for an occupation that was often engaged with families of faith, and families who wanted nothing said of deity. They also noted their wide differences in their own orientations to grieving families. I prepared with care, and addressed the issues of their concern, but also added my perception of the way a funeral director ought to function with grieving families, whether secular or religious. One of the issues related to the cost of a funeral. Many families desiring deeply to show respect for the deceased were buying services and products (principally caskets) costing well beyond their means. The director ought to work with such families so to provide a situation at a cost commensurate to the ability to pay. Nearly all deceased if given voice, would prefer, by far, to have the funds used for some living family need than to stretch too far in burial costs. When I finished my assignment and addenda, I was amenable to questions. I was shocked at the response. Who are you to tell any person what to charge for his product? Another: Salesmanship means getting the most for my company. Your view is old fashioned. The confrontation avoided the main points raised from them. I felt embarrassed for directors I knew devoted to ministry. The director in my town continues old fashioned value orientation. I would say again what I said to the somewhat jaded students. It would be said differently so to keep the discussion on an objective plane, knowing that the business factors loomed larger than the ministry for them. The high cost of last expenses has caused many persons to choose cremation over the historical preference of burial – a point recently made public in some of the materials appearing from cremation entities. There is a psychological difference that now relates to business, to some show, to the secularist who makes the trappings of a funeral reflect the love of the family, the financial value and worth of the deceased, the respect of the society. It is carry-over of the ancients who made a funeral a great event of life, so to build a pyramid, even offer other lives to go with the deceased – lined with gold. It is best when it communicates life values and lament. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020