The general decadence of societal values as is commonly observable in all walks of life, is, I believe due to the following two reasons:

• The existence of a feudal upper/lower/middle class societal classification: As members of this society and also to be able to justify the existentiality of humanity, we have come to depend on money, and also a subjective attribute by which a group attempts to evaluate an individual as higher/lower/equal to them in terms of idiosyncracies that they wish to belong and attach value to. For e.g., it is felt that living/rubbing shoulders with hollywood icons is considered so exotic that we are willing to turn a blind eye to the glamour and ostentatious nonsense that have come to so characterize and mask the idiocy, the idle vanity and irritating hypocrisy of all these rich people, and the seemingly additional value that purports to reveal itself in indulging with them or living in their neighborhood. I ask, why? After all, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if death is all that is left for us, I ask, then why all this fuss? Also, another attribute that people have used as a scapegoat to enforce rules/doctrines is religion. For fear of offending readers' sentiments, I must desist from elaborating further upon this point.

• The existence of order or societal equilibrium: In today's life, we expect a certain sense of order, and a general equilibrium in everyday life. The lethargy that creeps in due to this convenient monotony causes irrelevant, and individualistic aspirations to creep in and leads to feelings such as - egoistic superiority, the impulse to exercise, and impose power of authority to crush/quell another person's individuality. I am confident that readers will empathise with me that this is something everyone has experienced, but, have probably dismissed it or accepted it as a "fact of life." I ask,  why? Also, when the human mind comes to relax in the lethargy offered by a sense of order, animalistic tendencies coupled with the availability of convenient excuses like monetary ascension create the following - politics, greed, and inevitably corruption. In light of all this, the maxim that we supposedly preach, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" seems really ridiculous, if not downright selfish.

    I have tried to outline in this essay, reasons which I believe are responsible for the decadence of all the basic values that we believe to be right, and we see being eroded. To draw a line, we need to start with a point. Similarly, to start a society or neighborhood, somebody started with a house, some basic rules, and subjective classifications of right and wrong. This system worked well, until mankind discovered money. The cost factor, as we have so come to identify with our ephemeral existence today, the greed, and the power that money seems to empower and provide for the corrupt minds to breed and gloat on, is what is responsible for the decadence that we observe around us. The decadence in societal values, as opposed to what our societal forefathers intended may not be readily obvious, and most people seem content in dismissing the subtle degradation, or blaming it in on one another as an excuse to their own apathy and personal misgivings. Money has always been the impetus driving the existence of a capitalistic society, disguised in the guile of morality, metaphysical doctrines and religious piety masked by idiosyncrasy, dictating the rules of conduct,the so-called societal portrayal of oneself, in all walks of life. Once the corrupting powers of monetary possession became obvious, the creation of a feudal societal classification was unavoidable.

    So long as dissent existed, progress was continuous, i.e., what was considered to be good for one may not have been accepted by the greater majority and vice-versa. I am confident that such a thought process and relevant research in history will show that creation of religion must have stemmed from such a need.

    Today, we have come to accept and dismiss several inconsistencies and accept it as a "fact of life." I ask, why? Now that a sense of order is prevalent, the human mind starts wandering into irrelevant and esoteric domains, which probably, people everywhere around the world have come to universally accept and are probably content in observing the feudal split in society owing to attributes such as - monetary accrual, embracing of idiosyncracies that are created for the sole purpose of creating a difference between the seemingly beautiful few, and the ugly majority seperated by a confusing chasm, the width of which is ever increasing, thanks to the media.

    My conclusion is that for progress to be continuous, a sense of disorder or a state of chaos, within bounds of responsibility, is absolutely  necessary in order that new knowledge may be constantly created. Only when a sense of disorder is prevalent will mankind be forced to resort to equality of one and all, and will they unite for the common good and for the progress of knowledge. Only then will we get rid of the encroachment of politics, greed, corruption, which, sadly, while being highly prevalent, add nothing to either society or the cause of humanity, i.e., the progression and carrying over of values from one generation to another and the enhancement of knowledge.
 

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