National Standards - "Down Under"

Guiding principles are only as effective as they are enforced, and in turn, adhered to.  The standard of acceptable behaviour in a home is ideally personified and guided by responsible adult leadership, thereby enabling children to mirror these ideals.  This same principle of leadership applies to the governance of a nation, emphasising standards based on ethics of duty.

By design, every individual possesses the inherent ability to sense the difference between right and wrong.  A miraculous ‘imprint in the blueprint of human nature’ no less!  This ability is often referred to as the power of reason and is supposedly what sets us apart from the animal kingdom.  Our attributes of sense and reason are cultivated through nurture, and fortified over time by learning to trust these instinctual tendencies.  Ultimately this process guides us to a civilised state of being.

Neuroscience research has recently caught up with the timeless ‘wisdom of mother nature’, proving that in the first three years of life, babies need their mothers.  Scientists have discovered that uncomplicated acts of love are what connect the pathways of billions of neurons in the brain.  Consistent nourishment and loving guardianship set up the ‘attachment’ pathways, laying the foundation for a baby’s future happiness, health and ability to learn.

Over the last couple of decades the quality of parenting in New Zealand has been shamefully remiss.  Early childhood development and attachment has not been a priority.  Modern family life has been consumerised and tailored to suit the requirements and commitments of adults.  Many children have instead become attached to convenient, ‘interactive’ electronic games, further impeding fragile cognitive functions. It is no surprise that we are now witnessing an antisocial youth culture whose disrespectful conduct is beyond parental control and placing a monumental burden on school teachers, and other over-stretched social services .

There is no escaping the fact that across the board, standards are plummeting and de-stabilising New Zealand’s social infrastructure.  There is a bumper to bumper gathering at the bottom of the cliff and not enough sensible problem solving going on at the top.  Complaint authorities have never been busier. Clearly there is no room for compromise when it comes to the treatment of infants, elderly and infirm, healthcare, state education, the construction of homes, the building of roads, law enforcement, and general social support services, etc.  Unfortunately it is often only with the passing of time that one realizes the disastrous results of respective cost cutting shortcuts and risk taking.  It has been said that “intellect without intuition is the enemy”.  This rationale goes a long way to explain the dangerous territory we find our country in.

Time is of the essence and the first logical question that needs clarifying is why the political leaders of this land have under-rated, undermined, and underestimated etc, etc, the importance of parenting over recent decades???  There has been a betrayal of values.  A confusion of principles has occurred, so much so, our government currently offers cash and employment incentives to the pregnant mothers of our nation, luring them away from their parental responsibilities and nurturing their off spring!!!  Surely if these leaders were acting intelligently and diligently given the obvious social decay we are already reaping, they would be providing incentives, education and support, encouraging mothers to stay at home, and honouring the invaluable contribution of rearing our future generations.

The above equation does not compute.  Of equal concern is the general public’s apathetic acceptance of such blatant, contradictory nonsense!

When the ledger doesn’t balance in business affairs a reconciliation is necessary to ascertain where the miscalculation(s) took place. This same process of accountability is what’s called for if we are to fully comprehend the imbalance and social dissonance plaguing our shores.  Folks need to brace themselves for the realization that the magnitude of breakdown we are witnessing and the speed with which it has occurred, is not merely a result of negligent leadership, but also of cultural conditioning.

Change can creep up on people so gradually that they don’t recognise it.  Inadvertently we find ourselves accepting new attitudes and standards, simply because they have become commonplace.  Electronic media has been one of the most powerful influences of our time. The countless 'serialised dramas' and brainwashing advertisments beamed through people's t.v. screens have indeed serialised our lives, giving a whole new meaning to home invasion.

People need to be reminded that any influence, good or bad, is only as effective as it is ‘tolerated’.  This is determined by the choices we make.  Each New Zealand household has a choice about the ethics it lives by.  For example teaching children good manners, fosters respect and awareness of appropriate behaviour, AND they don’t cost money!  Generations gone by referred to manners as “the grease of society”.  Somewhere along the way New Zealanders bought into a set of falsehoods, the most deluded latest example being , “Women can have children but don’t need to raise them”.

Establishing the agenda behind our mis-managed social affairs is imperative if we are to comprehend the level of thinking we are dealing with.  Politics is a global affair and going by the sad state of New Zealand’s off shore debt, coupled with foreign owned state enterprises, our government officials are not likely to be as in charge, as most people take for granted.  Perhaps it is no coincidence that New Zealand’s insidious social erosion is following the direction of our nation’s bank balance… down the dunny!  One could almost be forgiven for sensing an ambush in ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’.

Liberation from falsehoods rests in the ‘Light of Truth’.  Once we set the record straight with the facts placed in context, wisdom will replace ignorance.

The thoughts and actions of the individual today, inevitably shape tomorrow, making the individual all-important.  The opportunity offered, rests with our ability to think for ourselves, and shape the future in accordance with harmonic laws.  A formula based on ‘human nature’ working in harmony with ‘mother nature’.

As we have proven many times in the past, collectively New Zealanders have the potential to evoke a universal response, sending a revolutionary message to fellow global citizens – “follow our lead, and lead by example”.