A few years ago, mathematicians from the University of Exeter developed a model which explained the mystery of traffic jams that occur for no apparent cause. In this mathematical model, a driver near the front of a line of heavy traffic reacts late to a potential problem and applies the brakes. If he brakes hard enough, he can cause the driver behind to apply the brakes even harder. A backward traveling wave is formed which can eventually cause traffic several miles behind to grind to a halt.
The theory is logical and the mathematical proof is elegant, though I’m not sure that the mathematicians at Exeter ever navigated the 285 at rush hour. Those of us who have might insist on adding more variables to the equation, but the gridlock around Atlanta might best be explained by Chaos Theory or, abandoning math altogether, in sociological or psychological terms. Witness the tailgating, the lane changing and the altogether reckless driving which occurs while jockeying for position in an intensely competitive (for what reward I do not know) environment. Consider the inattentiveness due to distractions inside the vehicle. If we include these variables, traffic jams might also be understood as the cumulative effect of thousands of individual acts of selfishness or self absorption. They might also be considered to be the result of a systemic breakdown in the driving ethos.
Leaving the highway for a moment (if that is possible in this culture) let’s consider for a moment what happens when we experience a breakdown of ethics in other areas of life, when seemingly insignificant acts of selfishness accumulate to affect the entire system. “No one will notice if I steal this pack of gum.” “Everyone cheats on their taxes.” “The company will never miss these office supplies; besides, they owe me.” “You’ll never get ahead in this life if you don’t look out for number one.” The backwards traveling wave of the traffic jam then moves forward and outward like ripples on a pond. The neighborhood store closes because shoplifting destroys its profits. The government levies new taxes or prints money to pay its bills. The company adopts draconian security measures which destroy morale. The nation’s system of jurisprudence becomes an overgrown jungle of laws, rules and regulations impossible for the average person to navigate.
In the past month alone I have witnessed so many examples of the inability to make and keep commitments , examples of what a friend in frustration referred to as “systemic incompetence,” I had to run this warning flag up the flagpole to see if anyone else recognized it. In discussions with a small group of only half a dozen people we identified, within just a thirty day period, 5 examples of appliances and electronic equipment from American companies which failed right out of the box. We counted 4 examples of raw fish and raw beef served in local restaurants. We heard an example of one company which instituted a policy of closely monitoring its employees in order to “discipline” more production out of them. We heard of a health care professional who forgot about an appointment and blamed staff for the oversight. We heard about a transmission in the shop for over two weeks and counting for a “guaranteed” three day job, and within that small group we compiled a list of a dozen elected officials from the local to the national level who were implicated in some form of malfeasance.
There is a theory, albeit not a mathematical one, that the decline in the quality of goods and services in America, the decline of the nuclear family and the increase in non-violent crime, can all be explained, at least in part, by the rise of moral relativism. Relativism holds that ideas have no absolute truth or validity, only subjective value based on differences in perception. Notwithstanding the struggle of a large number of conservatives to infuse the national ethos with a very particular interpretation of Christian belief, I believe it is accurate to describe a large segment of our population as practicing no strict interpretation of any belief system.
Over the centuries of human history many different forces have inspired or intimidated an adherence to a system of ethics and a moral code. Fear of punishment produces compliance in totalitarian regimes. Theocracies such as the Holy Roman Empire are held together by a combination of devout inspiration and fearful intimidation. The unique experiment of the American Republic has been an ownership society wherein the responsible acts of its citizens guaranteed security and prosperity. We grew, and we continue to grow, out of a diversity of cultures, but our system emphasizes our similarities while it respects our differences. As a people (and not including the “personhood” of our amoral corporations) we have prospered the most when our work ethic was infused with honor and integrity, no matter from what race, religion, creed or national origin it derived.
Examples of honor and integrity are still abundant in America. It is abundant in the professionals of public safety. It is widespread among the sacrifices we make to raise our families and educate our children. It is particularly abundant along the hard edge of the young people serving in our military. Nevertheless there is a soft underbelly of relativism and complacency in our society that could use some conditioning.
