What has happened to all the good professions?

For just a brief minute, I am going to get on my soapbox and do a little preaching here. Please forgive me this moment of self-indulgence and then I will return shortly to my normal, cheerful self!

Many years ago, when I was young, I was taught to respect certain people because of their position. These people included our family doctor, the local policeman, the minister at our church, and of course, our school teacher. These people were looked up to in our community. They held positions of responsibility and in some cases, authority and when you encountered one of them, you greeted them in a respectful manner and treated them as you had been taught to by your parents.

The family doctor’s opinion was always listened to and his advice was followed, even if it had nothing to do with medicine. Policemen were addressed as “yes sir” and their instructions were followed without question. If they made suggestions, you listened and reacted accordingly. Our minister was respected for his position and his word carried a great deal of importance to our lives. Teachers! What can I say about teachers? Teachers were looked up to and in some cases revered. Their word was law and they commanded respect in and out of the classroom. Woe to the poor student who foolishly chose to transgress a teacher’s path for a swift trip to the office would result, along with a similar fate when arriving home from school.

This brings up another disrespected profession, that of parenting. We were raised in an environment where we simultaneously loved, respected and feared our parents and what they said commanded immediate action.

Fast forward 20-30-40 years to the present and ask yourself where is that respect of long ago and is it still deserved? Visit a doctor’s office and you will probably encounter a receptionist who does everything in her power to shield you from seeing the doctor. Instead you will be handled by a series of supposed medical professionals, none of which went to medical school, and most of which are aloof and detached from your personal situation. If you are fortunate enough to actually see the doctor, it is in your status as a number and certainly not for more than 5 minutes.

I will concede that there are probably a great number of policemen in uniform who perform their duties in a professional manner however, there is a malaise of corruption which pervades police departments and which is splashed across our TV screens seemingly on a daily basis with stories of dishonest cops. There is no personal relationship with police and very little if any respect.

There is so much negative news about churches and religion that it is difficult to find any respect left in our society for ministers. Churches have generally failed to provide the necessary moral leadership for our society and as a result we see a general decline in morality among our citizens, particularly young people who have been raised in this era of no respect. Add to this the frequent stories about ministers who have affairs with members of the congregation, or run off with the offering and this guiding light of our society has gone dim.

The sad situation that exists in our schools today is well documented in the news media. Witness how they grab onto every new story about yet another teacher who has a sordid love affair with a student and the resulting loss of respect throughout the country for the entire teaching profession.

Finally we have to look at parents and adults in general, and what we see is a sad picture. All too often the sad truth is that adults are far more concerned about their own well being at the expense of their children. There is little or no discipline exercised, and many parents believe the best way to raise their children is to give them everything they want and the children will somehow find their own way to adulthood. Just don’t bother mom and dad as they are busy enjoying life.

Life seemed to be a lot simpler back in “the good old days”. I liked doctors you could see, talk with, and trust. I respected policemen who were honest. I honored ministers whose lives you could follow and whose word presented truth. I learned from teachers whose presence in the classroom commanded respect and attention. And I loved and honored my parents for the lives and examples they lived.

We need to return to those lost values and resurrect professions and professionals with whom we can invest our trust.