Don't Ever Take a Fence Down…until…

“Don’t ever take a fence down,” said G. K. Chesterton, “until you know the reason it was put up.” Too many people in too many places tend to remove time-honored safeguards, the reasons for which they do not know.

Change is inevitable; fashions will be made and unmade as far as we can foresee. But there are extremists and exhibitionists who flagrantly defy standards, principles, laws, morals, modesty.

There is, among other things, good taste to be considered. As Alexander Pope said it: “Be not the first by whom the new are tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside.” But the crux is the difference between what is a principle and what is merely a preference.

There are some foundations that are firmly fixed. If not, there is nothing that anyone can measure by or count on, except his own preference, his own mood of the moment, and that, of course, is chaos. There are some foundational principles, some standards, some basic qualities of character without which there is no progress, no assurance, without which no society or no person is safe: Honesty, morality, respect for law⎯such things don’t go out of force even if, with some, they seem to go out of fashion. It is easy to tear down; so easy to reject, so easy to discredit, but the commandments are still there. Causes and consequences are still there, and if we tamper irresponsibly, ignorantly, or even innocently, with the basic laws of life, we shall find to our sorrow why the fence was put up in the first place.

As to modesty, morality, chastity, honesty and honor, one cannot break away from the basic foundations and have assurances for the future. Paul said it in a strong, short sentence: “Let all things be done decently, and in order.” Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.”