No one grows up in isolation. Every person is shaped not only by family, but also by the society around them. The values of a community are like invisible hands—they guide, mold, and sometimes mislead. That is why when societies go wrong, entire generations can lose their way.
Look around at the world today. What do most societies glorify? Money, fame, power, pleasure. Celebrities are celebrated more than teachers. Corrupt leaders are admired more than honest workers. Scammers are called “smart” while hard workers are called “fools.” People cheat, steal, and lie, then boast about how clever they are. When wrong becomes normal, society itself becomes sick. And when society is sick, the individuals within it suffer.
But instead of admitting our collective guilt, people are quick to say, “God allowed this.” No. A society that glorifies greed will reap corruption. A society that glorifies immorality will reap broken homes. A society that glorifies violence will reap insecurity. This is not God’s will—it is the voice of society’s choices speaking loudly.
Take the education system in many countries. Instead of teaching children values, we train them only to pass exams. Instead of encouraging honesty, we allow cheating. Then, years later, when corruption fills the government, people cry, “God, why did You allow this?” But was it really God, or was it the seeds society planted in its schools?
Or think about entertainment. Music, movies, and media have become teachers of a generation. They preach greed, lust, and rebellion more loudly than parents preach love, respect, and discipline. Children grow up memorizing lyrics that glorify drugs, sex, and violence—but cannot recite a single value that builds character. Years later, when crime rises, people shake their heads and say, “The devil is at work.” But maybe it was not the devil. Maybe it was society failing to guard its values.
Even leaders reflect the society they come from. Corrupt leaders do not fall from the sky; they are raised by communities that tolerated small lies, excused dishonesty, and admired greed. When a thief becomes a president, that nation should not say, “It was fate.” No—it was society’s mistake.
But society also has the power to shape good. Communities that honor honesty raise trustworthy leaders. Cultures that respect family produce strong homes. Nations that punish corruption and reward integrity create systems that work. Just as bad values echo into the future, good values also multiply across generations.
So the question is: what kind of society are we building? Are we raising children to believe that success without integrity is still success? Are we teaching them that “everyone cheats, so you must cheat too”? Are we normalizing greed as ambition and lust as freedom? If we are, then we are sowing destruction, not destiny.
We must face this hard truth: society cannot excuse its failures by baptizing them as “God’s plan.” Wars born out of greed are not holy. Poverty born out of corruption is not destiny. Crime born out of broken values is not fate. They are the fruits of human failure, not divine design.
If we want to glorify God as communities, we must begin to value uprightness again. We must celebrate the honest worker, not just the rich one. We must honor teachers, not only celebrities. We must protect the weak instead of exploiting them. We must raise our children to believe that truth is more valuable than wealth. Because when society stands for uprightness, the individuals within it rise. But when society celebrates foolishness, even the wise suffer.
The world will not change simply by waiting for miracles. It will change when societies stop making excuses and start making upright choices.
Look around at the world today. What do most societies glorify? Money, fame, power, pleasure. Celebrities are celebrated more than teachers. Corrupt leaders are admired more than honest workers. Scammers are called “smart” while hard workers are called “fools.” People cheat, steal, and lie, then boast about how clever they are. When wrong becomes normal, society itself becomes sick. And when society is sick, the individuals within it suffer.
But instead of admitting our collective guilt, people are quick to say, “God allowed this.” No. A society that glorifies greed will reap corruption. A society that glorifies immorality will reap broken homes. A society that glorifies violence will reap insecurity. This is not God’s will—it is the voice of society’s choices speaking loudly.
Take the education system in many countries. Instead of teaching children values, we train them only to pass exams. Instead of encouraging honesty, we allow cheating. Then, years later, when corruption fills the government, people cry, “God, why did You allow this?” But was it really God, or was it the seeds society planted in its schools?
Or think about entertainment. Music, movies, and media have become teachers of a generation. They preach greed, lust, and rebellion more loudly than parents preach love, respect, and discipline. Children grow up memorizing lyrics that glorify drugs, sex, and violence—but cannot recite a single value that builds character. Years later, when crime rises, people shake their heads and say, “The devil is at work.” But maybe it was not the devil. Maybe it was society failing to guard its values.
Even leaders reflect the society they come from. Corrupt leaders do not fall from the sky; they are raised by communities that tolerated small lies, excused dishonesty, and admired greed. When a thief becomes a president, that nation should not say, “It was fate.” No—it was society’s mistake.
But society also has the power to shape good. Communities that honor honesty raise trustworthy leaders. Cultures that respect family produce strong homes. Nations that punish corruption and reward integrity create systems that work. Just as bad values echo into the future, good values also multiply across generations.
So the question is: what kind of society are we building? Are we raising children to believe that success without integrity is still success? Are we teaching them that “everyone cheats, so you must cheat too”? Are we normalizing greed as ambition and lust as freedom? If we are, then we are sowing destruction, not destiny.
We must face this hard truth: society cannot excuse its failures by baptizing them as “God’s plan.” Wars born out of greed are not holy. Poverty born out of corruption is not destiny. Crime born out of broken values is not fate. They are the fruits of human failure, not divine design.
If we want to glorify God as communities, we must begin to value uprightness again. We must celebrate the honest worker, not just the rich one. We must honor teachers, not only celebrities. We must protect the weak instead of exploiting them. We must raise our children to believe that truth is more valuable than wealth. Because when society stands for uprightness, the individuals within it rise. But when society celebrates foolishness, even the wise suffer.
The world will not change simply by waiting for miracles. It will change when societies stop making excuses and start making upright choices.
