Diogenes, a Greek philosopher (4th century), was said to have walked through Athens, in broad daylight, carrying a lit lantern, claiming he was “looking for an honest man.”  It’s clear he would have found few to meet his standard of truth and honesty. Politics has always had its share of not speaking the full truth. What feels newer, and far more corrosive, is the growing comfort some politicians now have with simply abandoning the facts altogether, particularly when courts or public institutions are involved. Misrepresentation is no longer an occasional lapse or rhetorical flourish. It has become a strategy that trades accuracy for outrage and treats public trust as collateral damage. Too often, the political claims are not to clarify or persuade but to inflame, reinforcing a narrative that casts courts, universities, and institutions as enemies rather than essential parts of a functioning democracy.

David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote about the saddening moral climate. Brooks argued that the United States has become a “sadder, meaner and more pessimistic country,” suggesting that Americans have lost faith in one another and in shared ideals. This reflects his view that a breakdown in common moral frameworks and social trust has hollowed out the sense of collective purpose and morality. He described the rise of nihilism, where morality is portrayed as “for suckers” and raw power, bullying, and cruelty are increasingly celebrated or normalized—particularly in political and cultural life. According to summaries, he specifically characterized this mindset as a danger to American society

At its core, the moral decline many observers describe is not about people becoming individually evil, but about the collapse of shared standards—the unwritten rules that once guided behavior, restrained power, and encouraged mutual responsibility. A growing cultural attitude suggests that honesty, decency, restraint, and humility are for “losers”—that they put you at a disadvantage in a competitive, winner-take-all society. Success is often measured solely by dominance, visibility, and victory, not by character or contribution.

In this environment:

• Cheating is reframed as “being smart.”
• Cruelty is excused as “telling it like it is.”
• Lying is justified as “fighting fire with fire.”

Moral behavior is no longer assumed to be a baseline—it’s treated as optional or even foolish.

Trust is the glue of moral life. It allows people to cooperate, forgive, and sacrifice for the common good. That trust is now deeply fractured:

• Citizens distrust institutions
• Groups distrust one another
• People assume bad faith before dialogue even begins

When trust disappears, moral obligations shrink. People stop asking, “What do we owe one another?” and start asking only, “How do I protect my own?” Right and wrong are judged not by universal standards, but by:

• Who is speaking
• Which group benefits
• Whether criticism threatens one’s tribe

We daily see the long-established rules of ethical behavior and conflicts of interest being totally ignored. The problem we face is that A society can survive disagreement. What it struggles to survive is the belief that nothing is truly right or wrong. It should be our goal and our prayer:” God Bless America!