YOUR article on the era of “Agony Aunts” was a bit sad in that is what we have now a whole lot better? Obviously there were negative sides to by- gone eras, and there are positives regarding today’s perspectives, but lets not chuck out the baby with the bath water.

What about modesty, decency, faithfulness, kindness, compassion, humility etc? These were virtues that were held sacred in that time while today lip service is paid to those ideals as long as they suit me at any given time.

Occurrences of divorce, suicide, mental illness, abuse of the weak, drug dependency, corruption, greed and unfaithfulness have sky- rocketed. Human decency seems to be the exception and not the norm.

I have always believed that Hollywood is there as a showcase for us on how not to live. Their lives all seem so exciting and society uses the “stars” as role models and yet the end product of their choices is invariably sad and tragic. Michael Jackson and David Hasselhoff are two examples that come to mind.

Maybe it is time to re-examine those old values. Let us not be so arrogant as to think we have all the answers and that previous generations can show us nothing. The present state of society shows that we have a lot to learn. – JOHN ZENSTRA, PORT ELIZABETH