I am barely old enough to remember when a handshake was as good as gold and a man's word was his bond...!!!  

Ever since that quality of virtue was evident to me, it has been eroding to the point that you really can't trust even when a person puts something in writing and swears to it under oath anymore.  

A sad state of affairs!  

What caused this shift...???  

Was it a general disrespect for morality, a failure to see the merits of telling the truth, or the fact that there seemed to be no penalty for lying or misrepresentation...?  

Certainly, there has been a general lack of pride in preserving 'the family name'...  

As our society reached the heights of pluralism and tossed away ethnic culture in the attempt to become the 'melting pot' we were all taught in grade school history class, the plot thickened...  

I'm of a mind, however, that nothing is ever totally lost. If we will to, we can go back and pick up the pieces and resurrect our culture...It is possible to restore the values and virtues by which our parents and grandparents raised us...!  

But it takes courage, a firm purpose, and a willingness to 'not follow the crowd'...  

If you raise your children to be honest, to keep their word, to live a virtuous life, they may be counter-cultural, but they and you will be espousing what Joshua said in the old testament...  

"...As for me and my house, we will serve The Lord..."