17-year-old Austin Metcalf was stabbed to death at a track meet. This is about human decency and the culture that has eroded it

Austin Metcalf , 17 , was stabbed to death at a track meet in Frisco , Texas , this month .

Karmelo Anthony , also 17 , has been charged with first -degree murder in the fatal stabbing.

A dangerous mindset has won over many young men today : burn it all down and take what you can.

Austin Metcalf did not die because of a lack of security protocols.

He died because adults failed to hold the line long before he met Karmelo Anthony .

A culture that refuses to enforce consequences is a culture that enables tragedy, authors say.

We lower expectations, excuse bad behavior, and pretend that endless second chances build character.