| It is reported that alcohol abuse on
college campuses is on the rise. But alcohol abuse is only one symptom of a
larger campus crisis. There is a growth in racism, sexism, assault, attempted
suicide, theft, property damage and most disappointing of all, cheating on
exams. A generation has come to college quite fragile, not very secure about who it is, fearful of its lack of identity and without confidence in its future. Many students are ashamed of themselves and afraid of relationships. It is happening because the generation now entering college has experienced few authentic connections with adults in its lifetime. I call this the "Culture of Neglect", and we—parents, teachers, professors and administrators—are the primary architects. It begins at home, where social and economic factors result in less family time for adults. Most children and teenagers are being reared without mothers' being around, with television as their only supervisor, and there is little expectation that they learn personal responsibility. Immersed in themselves, they are left to their peers. We have failed to model a culture of responsibility. We have created a culture characterized by marriage failures, mass schooling that demands only minimal effort and media idols subliminally (下意识的)teaching disrespect for authority and wisdom. When the children do wrong, it is not their fault. On the contrary, it's our fault. It seems that the children are always owned something by the busy parents and by the overworked teachers. The children take it for granted that we should take responsibility for their acts. How could college students reared in the culture of neglect have any notion of obligation and responsibility? A nation of individuals who can't read or write well, with no sense of major human questions, who can't think critically or show interest in learning and who are unable to act responsibility will be ill equipped to compete in any new world order. A generation of neglect will shape our future. Let's wait and see. |