(This article was originally published in May 2000)

Imagine a world where anything is possible and anything goes. There is no wrong, and consequently there is no right. There is no absolute truth. Does that world sound appealing? We live in that world. In this politically over-correct world, there is a group of people who dream of something bigger, something larger than the present state of being. I am one of those people, but there is a problem that hinders this dream. We are choking ourselves in our own idiosyncrasies.

Our post-modern, early 21st Century attitude has caused a downfall in the internal structure of our society, and I'm not talking about buildings. Even the most heinous crime can be dismissed if we have the right lawyer or dollar amount. It isn't justice; it's politics.

Take O.J. Simpson, for example, whether you believe he was guilty or not you must accept the fact that if he had not been a celebrity the trial would not have lasted a week. He would have been convicted due to extensive evidence! Can a celebrity really be a bad person? Far too commonly the answer is "no".

When three-year-old girls go on crash diets because they are unhappy with their body, when sexual orientation is a hierarchy, and students shoot their peers, we blame whom? The media. The truth is, our society is far too concerned with keeping everyone happy. We have become so concerned with false contentment, for fear of offending anyone, that even religion is watered down to 'whatever works for you'. Yet when a person who, heaven forbid, should have faith in something other than society and believe it to be the 'right' or 'only' way, they are shot down, sometimes literally. The media is not to blame—we are.

The media—while a central force behind key issues such as fashion, and even movie violence—is more of an enforcer of truth than a weapon of destruction. Our implicit values and morals are evident in what we, as a culture, believe to be important. The facts are then simply presented to us through magazines, movies, television and newspapers made for us, by people like us.

There are far too many people who will accept maybes and possibilities as absolutes. We are in dire need of some direction. I dream of a world where we are united in one goal and one truth, but the dream I have is far from coming true. Even my own family is torn apart because of separate worldviews and truths.

While I can sympathize with the ideas behind political correctness, the "whatever works for you" philosophy is offensive to even those who have instituted it, or at least it should be. If everything is ok for everyone, then there is no absolute truth, and no right and wrong. We are condemning ourselves to chaos.

I dream of a world that is bigger and better than the one in which we live. Life is a gift, and whether or not you believe in a Supreme Being, I must emphasize that even the so-called coincidences are not accidental. If we hope to gain world peace and happiness we need to begin to accept that there are good and bad beliefs and situations, as well as the fact that there is an ultimate and intrinsic right and wrong. Only then will we be able to take the first tiny steps toward a greater world and the now seemingly impossible dream of "something more".

Copyright © 2000 Kimberley May Maurice All Rights Reserved

Kimberley May Maurice is a native of British Columbia and is currently studying Communications at Trinity Western University. She is an aspiring poet and writer and is constantly seeking ways to impact her generation