By David Hegg

There is an old saying that, being old, has been buried in the accumulated dust of a fast-paced, progressive society. It goes like this: Internal compliance is preferable to external compulsion. You might have heard its cousin, “you can’t legislate morality,” or maybe its next-door neighbor, “it’s what’s inside that counts.”

Whatever form this piece of wisdom takes, it simply means external pressure may restrain harmful passions and the destructive behaviors they incite. Still, it cannot replace immoral beliefs and desires with ethical convictions and the behaviors civil society requires. Simply put, you can cage the gorilla of evil, but if you feed and strengthen the gorilla while allowing the cage to deteriorate, you’ll eventually reap disaster. If you’re like me, you’re noticing a lot more external compulsion in our country. In many situations, it is greatly needed. We’re watching as many negative realities continue to expand their reach as man’s inhumanity to man becomes more and more a daily news item.

But here’s the bigger point. The long-term answer to the growth of evil beliefs and their inevitable actions can’t be confined to external restriction and punishment, even if they work to curb the criminal........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal