One of the great tragedies of our age is the increase of Alzheimer’s disease, a malevolent condition that robs people, usually the elderly, of their memories and personality, as they slide away into mental darkness. Many have experienced this, and many families have faced the horrific consequences of memory loss and disability that come upon their loved ones.

We've all heard the public apologies of company spokespersons, sports figures, politicians, movie stars or celebrities. We can usually tell whether they mean it or if they're just reading a carefully worded script. When we've been wronged, we expect an apology. But it may be hard for us to apologize when we have wronged someone. Why is apology so important in human relations?

As I listened to the phone ring, I was afraid to answer it. I was afraid to hear the words that I knew would change our life. I answered it and on the other end was my wife. She said, "We have to go right now to the children's hospital because the pediatrician has diagnosed our daughter with diabetes. She will have to take shots for the rest of her life and we will have to take a crash course on how to take care of child diabetes."

Two millennia ago, the Western world was in a state of uneasy peace, commonly referred to as Pax Romana. This peace was brought about by the region's only superpower, an entity powerful enough to give pause to nations thinking about independence. While this peace led to an explosion in literature, culture and technology, it did not last long.

As the Roman Empire collapsed under the strain of supporting a morally—and financially—bankrupt society, this state of uneasy peace came to an end, throwing the region into chaos. History is repeating itself.

If you've been watching the news, images from across the Middle East portraying a breakdown of peace, the dissolution of decorum, the disturbing display from unruly mobs of young and old, men and women alike, have been etched in your memory. Could this type of anarchy also awaken in the United States?