Freddie had frosting in his hair, cake in his nose and, milk running down his chin and neck onto his new pants. With a grin on his face he lifted a glass to his mouth and drank noisily, then giggled and gargled, spewing more milk across the room onto his friends. It was his birthday party and he was having a blast. The problem was that Freddie was not 24 months old, he was 24 years old, and he had a perfectly normal IQ and no developmental challenges.  He just liked being gross.

For the most part, our culture does not tolerate this kind of behavior from adults. Thankfully our society still imposes enough peer pressure to keep this kind of behavior from becoming the norm in our public restaurants and lunch rooms.  Manners and consideration for others is what separates mankind from the rest of the animal world. However, that separation is not automatic; it is a gulf that would disappear should mankind choose to abandon common courtesy and decorum. 

Great empires and cultures have come and gone. There appears to be a trend. When a group of people work hard to live with dignity and decency the way God intended, their culture excels. When ensuing generations begin to disregard the principles that insured success, the culture begins to degrade, until they, as a people group, act more like animals than men. The pain and destruction that ensue are often blamed on God, but, in reality, they are the result of men abandoning the manners and morals prescribed by the Almighty.

St. Peter explained it this way:

Since Christ suffered and underwent pain, you must have the same attitude he did; you must be ready to suffer, too. For remember, when your body suffers, sin loses its power, and you won’t be spending the rest of your life chasing after evil desires but will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things the godless enjoy-sex, sin, lust, getting drunk, wild parties, drinking bouts, and the worship of idols, and other terrible sins.  

Of course, your former friends will be very surprised when you don’t eagerly join them anymore in the wicked things they do, and they will laugh at you in contempt and scorn. But just remember that they must face the Judge of all, living and dead; they will be punished for the way they have lived. That is why the Good News was preached even to those who were dead-killed by the flood –so that although their bodies were punished with death, they could still live in their spirits as God lives. 

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore be earnest, thoughtful men of prayer. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love makes up for many of your faults.  (1 Peter 4:1-8 The Living Bible)

I am thankful for the people in my life who taught me to shower, brush my teeth, keep my feet off the table and chew with my mouth closed. I am even more thankful for those who taught me to respect my body, my friends, and God. They taught me to treat men and women with respect and to recognize the dignity of every life. They warned me that life is what I make it and, when I get sloppy, life quickly degenerates. They helped me to see that self-control, hard work and diligence may be harder in the short run, but they are what makes for a life of decency and dignity.