When Charles Dickens wrote this passage in the classic “A Tale of Two Cities”, he was commenting on the conditions of the Industrial Revolution. During his era, plague and epidemics raged, child labor was at an all-time high, and public executions served as a spectator sport for townspeople. In fact, “Oliver Twist” served as a commentary on the conditions of workhouses and orphanages that existed during that time.

Still, my mother-in-law constantly reminds me of how society’s moral compass has eroded and that she does not envy the current generation of parents trying to raise children during these corrupt times.

She has a point. During this age of technology, it is difficult to defend the moral character of our generation. Everyday, we are bombarded with images and stories about war, crime, indecency and public misfortune. In addition, the internet has further exposed our children to dangerous predators and pornographic material.

So is God wringing his hands and considering another flood to get our attention? Has society’s moral code become so diluted that everything is acceptable? Or, could it be that every generation has its challenges and that values may change form but do not necessarily deteriorate. Or, is it possible that our 24/7 access to news and information clouds our vision of the human spirit?

During a recent “What is the World Coming to” conversation with my mother-in-law, I asked her this question: “How did you survive the 1960’s?” After all, during that brief decade, the country suffered three high-profile assassinations (John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King), the Vietnam War, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missal Crisis, the Civil Rights Movement, the birth of the Hippie Movement and the Sexual Revolution. Somehow, she was able to raise three children during this tumultuous time.

Don’t get me wrong, although I watch a lot of Sesame Street these days, I know we have difficulty playing nicely. I am very much aware of the importance of maintaining a strong family unit to combat the monsters that are everywhere other than our children’s closets. However, I do believe that history tells us that poverty, crime, war and sexual immorality are nothing new. I challenge you to sit down with your child and review some of the history homework. Regardless if she is studying the Civil War or the Civil Rights Movement, you can make the argument that “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”