intellectual child abandonment

So often, as highlighted by the homosexual marriage discussion in State and Local, we are fighting for right but without understanding why. And it shows. I think this is scary - we and our people look like the religious fanatics both we and the world are scared of. When and why did generations fail to pass on the essentials of life? How can we ensure we don't fail in the same way (especially when we are still struggling to put our world back together)?
I think there needs to be researched and instituted a new canon to teach children the what and why, to teach and fill in the wisdom of the Bible, and to instill the forgotten wisdom of the ancient fathers who knew the answers to questions we don't even know how to ask anymore.