I saw on the news that the president awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to nineteen people yesterday. It is our nation's highest civilian honor. Congrats to the recipients. That much being said I would add this thought, how prestigious can it be if nineteen are awarded at once ? Look, I'm just sayin'. Do these people actually qualify for the award ? As with any award, the requirements to qualify are rather subjective. I'm just not impressed with an award that seems to be handed out in a rather liberal fashion. The star loses it's luster if handed too often, know what I mean ? This seems to be a trend. I see the same thing with the awarding of other, once prestigious, medals and awards.
I am not saying anyone is not deserving of recognition. That is not my point here. I just feel like the standards are being lowered. In our haste to to " honor " or " recognize " we are devaluing the gesture. Great value is placed upon those items that are rare. The proliferation of awards can have no other effect than the opposite of the intent. Like in grade school, if every student gets a star what does it mean ? Are we so busy recognizing and praising that we are not judging the merits of the award in the light that they were intended ?
It appears to me that in recent years we have elevated the expected to the meritorious. What was once considered the normal and expected response has become extraordinary ? Why is that ? It is a question I have thought about. The massaging of our collective ego's appears to have taken precedence over common sense. It is tied up with all this political correctness nonsense. Any voice in opposition is met with scorn and disdain. It falls back to basic moral behavior. Not so many years back we expected certain behaviors,even demanded them. Now it would seem that is not the case. Each action must be praised. In my opinion this is leading to frailty. Self assuredness is being lost. Confidence is becoming dependant upon recognition. All too often I feel it is unwarranted. A lowering of the bar is not an elevation in accomplishment. Where are our children to look for heroes ? If the majority receive the awards and accolades how can they measure a " heroic " action. Heroes stand alone ! They do not come in crowds.
I am not saying anyone is not deserving of recognition. That is not my point here. I just feel like the standards are being lowered. In our haste to to " honor " or " recognize " we are devaluing the gesture. Great value is placed upon those items that are rare. The proliferation of awards can have no other effect than the opposite of the intent. Like in grade school, if every student gets a star what does it mean ? Are we so busy recognizing and praising that we are not judging the merits of the award in the light that they were intended ?
It appears to me that in recent years we have elevated the expected to the meritorious. What was once considered the normal and expected response has become extraordinary ? Why is that ? It is a question I have thought about. The massaging of our collective ego's appears to have taken precedence over common sense. It is tied up with all this political correctness nonsense. Any voice in opposition is met with scorn and disdain. It falls back to basic moral behavior. Not so many years back we expected certain behaviors,even demanded them. Now it would seem that is not the case. Each action must be praised. In my opinion this is leading to frailty. Self assuredness is being lost. Confidence is becoming dependant upon recognition. All too often I feel it is unwarranted. A lowering of the bar is not an elevation in accomplishment. Where are our children to look for heroes ? If the majority receive the awards and accolades how can they measure a " heroic " action. Heroes stand alone ! They do not come in crowds.
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