We abandoned the gold standard in 1973 and let our currency be determined by what others thought it was worth. Thus today we have floating exchange rates when there is no absolute standard to determine value. It seems our culture and values have followed suit. The rightness or wrongness of beliefs and actions is no longer based on the standard of accepted Judeo-Christian traditions but by ebb and flow of moral relativism.

What does this mean for us? It means a lot, especially for our young people. The world is complex enough without forcing them to navigate a minefield of negative cultural influences without guidance.

One of America’s strengths is its innovative spirit and its ability to move forward unencumbered by the past. This has worked well in business and politics, but not so well in culture and values. The truth is we need standards in our lives. It leads to the orderly progression of life. It’s hard to predict where the alternation of values will land. As an aging baby boomer, I’m not crazy about where the various revolutions in thought and behavior of the 1960s have led us. I can’t help but feel the angst and disconnectedness of our youth today started back then. Maybe we should be more careful when we tinker with the DNA of the values of our civilization.

Maybe the financial meltdown will give us pause to consider what a cultural meltdown might look like - if part of it hasn’t happened already. We altar our values at our peril.