Loss of the Sacred?

How do you explain sacredness to someone who has no or little experience with it--especially in religious matters? I've thought a bit about this question--sacredness is a somewhat abstract concept. When someone has experienced it, they more easily recognize it again. I think one can better appreciate sacredness from another person's viewpoint even if the sacredness is not obvious or personally meaningful.

I've heard it said that society is losing its sense the sacred. I can see that, I think. I'm not really that old, so it is difficult for me to make a comparison over a significant amount of time through consistently adult eyes. I also know each generation has a propensity to think that life during the previous generations was safer, calmer, more reasonable, and more virtuous. While there may be some validity to specific claims in this regard, I sometimes wonder if such claims are part of human nature--perceiving simple changes around them as a negative trend. So, perhaps society is deteriorating in terms of the sacred; I'm sure a good case can be made.

I think one part of sacredness is scarcity or unfamiliarity. Old Testament folks did not speak the name of God--so I understand. When you see or hear something every day and in a casual setting, it is easy to become habituated to it and have it lose something--it becomes invisible due to the extensive exposure. In our modern media world, fewer things are kept unfamiliar and formal. With so many forms of media competing for consumer attention, there is a propensity to push the envelope, get a different angle on things, and be the first to expose something. This seems somewhat counter to sacredness. On the other hand, the media could arguably present something a certain way as to give it more awe and gravitas--but that's perhaps an exceptional approach (unless enough media choose to idealize a certain ideology or person).

Imagine, if you will, you are a parent of a young child--maybe a 6 years old--who is drawing last breaths. The parents and siblings are situated around the child's bed comforting the dieing child, sharing tender moments, crying, holding, saying their goodbyes. A hired nurse is standing just outside the bedroom and overhears what the child says to the parents and siblings. Imagine you are somewhat of a celebrity--not a household name, but most have heard of you, some follow you closely. This nurse calls a few tabloids and cable gossip shows and reports from memory all that was said. These entertainment entities decide to report the specifics of the conversation--not necessarily in a mocking manner, but with intimate detail. The next evening you discover that millions of strangers across the country have been privy to that moment in your life. Websites and news organizations link to the story and upload video segments of the shows. How would you feel?

I see sacredness in this scenario, and I see desensitivity to sacredness (at the least). Some non-parents mayhave a harder time relating to it, but I think most people would feel for this family and see the violation here. The sacredness is not the pain the parents feel about the death of their child, however. The circumstances act to create the sacredness.

Now, if someone is wondering why Mormons may feel violated by having some of (if not the) their most sacred religious rituals piped into millions of living rooms and potentially countless internet connections (with indefinite availability), for the sake of someone else making money (as the most benign possible motive that may be behind it), consider how violated those parents might feel when their sacred moments were treated as they were, and perhaps multiply that feeling (not the sorrow of the loss, but the feelings associated with the their sacred moment being broadcast publicly without consent) a few times. That's a start.