Scott Russell Sanders - In response to an excerpt from, "The Common Life": The Players Of Modern Societal Theatrics

Sanders' contends in his essay that American society has molded Americans into embracing anonymity and abandoning the "common life" and the social interaction that goes along with it. I completely agree with Sanders on this issue. It is truly a shame that the rate at which society is decomposing has grown so high. At many times throughout my young life I have already felt deeply disturbed by the lengths to which greed, envy, lust, and temptation drive so many of our nations individuals. Corruption infests the ranks of our country's leadership, and a profound lack of moral values has infected our younger generations.

Almost any society has those individuals who push on the edge of deviance. It would most certainly be expected from a nation borne of such rebellious citizens. These border-line deviant persons are the cause of progressive acceptance of the activities they take part in. Case in point: homosexuality. There have been homosexuals living among the so-called normal population for hundreds of years, but it has only been in the last 30 or so years that they have come to be acknowledged and, for the most part, integrated into this definition of "normal" lifestyle. They may not be globally approved of, but they are acknowledged and put up with nonetheless.

Over the years, these groups who cause the progressive acceptance of deviant behavior have pushed the limits continually. There is nothing wrong with this, it is simply change. Yet now we have come to the point when some aspects of "border-line" behavior are in utter incongruence with the founding morals that should be upheld in society. It is these very morals which are in question that will maintain the integrity of our societies; if we push our individual values aside at present, where will we put our society for the future?

It is in this manner that I feel the individual embodies a force to check and balance the public society, including the generally accepted "normal" lifestyle, against the lack of progression. At the same time, this progressive force may become too strong, overpowering public opinion and thus throwing the society into a disintegration of values. I personally feel that this is the direction America may be headed, just take a look at television and the stuff America can't get enough of.

The woman whom Sanders refers to as being nervous when "surrounded by familiar faces" is an example of withdrawn individuals and the breakdown of a "web of relationships" that holds society together. She doesn't care that no one knows her; in fact, she prefers this to being among friends. Why is this? Such social isolationists contribute little to a community and may even detract from it. If the United States follows in this path of deviation from the "common life", Sanders suggest that it will eventually crumble.

Therefore, individuals must preserve and uphold their role in society. They must not allow their values to be washed away and they must not retreat from their social relationships. As Sanders correctly assesses, the greater number of people in a community to not taking part in the common life, the more vulnerable the community is to break down. It is the individual's role in society to maintain their social relationships, thereby holding society upright.