Fragmented ethical contexts

The individual's ethical context is conditioned by the present parochial operation of the family and of educational systems. Parents attempt to meet the separate needs of their children, extended families, and organizations without considering the integrating image which could pervade the whole family. Educational systems, while responsible for providing the major part of moral training, attempt to meet the demands of the public and end up by oscillating like a pendulum between different ethical poles or by abdicating responsibility. Neither the family nor the educational systems reappropriates the heritage of the past and the profound relationship to historical stories and symbols which would help sustain actions directed towards present vision or the long-range future.