The New Code of Ethics "Anything Goes"
I don't know what is right or wrong anymore. I know what I was taught, I know what is in the Bible about right and wrong, and I know what my instincts tell me. Today's world, however, seems to be beating to a different drum. Freedom of Speech has been extended to a sense of Freedom of Behavior. Any and all behavior seems to be condoned and considered "acceptable."
The new modis operandi is "accept and just move on," "confront no one about accountability," and "never impose consequences." The end justifies the means -- Machiavelli is back -- making money, achieving success, and gaining illusive power justifies whatever it took to get there.
I saw the movie, Social Network, yesterday. It was somewhat disturbing to see 19 year old college students stabbing each other in the back to this degree, initially, merely to impress girls and find acceptance with others. Then I realized I had seen the same behavior in my 7th and 8th grade students. And, I have read about the same rampant behavior all over Wall Street. They got huge rewarding bonuses for this behavior and had to make no restitution to anyone. In fact, we had to bail them out in order to pay such handsome bonuses. I saw the same attitude with the BP oil disaster. Big business minimizing the ramifications and their own culpability. The Bush Administration has never been held accountable for forcing the U.S. into war under false premises nor had to account for the trillions of dollars this war cost Americans , the thousands of lives lost, nor the billions piled into the coffers of the big businesses who benefitted from being at war with Iraq. Even Obama tells us just to "move on." And the Catholic Church still demands devotion to a Vatican City and Pope who have condoned pedophilia by their deliberate deceit in attempting to gloss over the magnitude of the problem perpetrated by many of their priests. Does money absolve people of being found guilty of having done things that hurt the welfare of others? I believe this is the new code of ethics -- if you have enough money, you have no need for ethics in today's world. There are no consequences for immoral or even illegal behavior committed by rich people any more.
So the question becomes, what is the motivation to be an honest, ethical person today? What is the payoff? Not in the next world but in today's world. Do honest, ethical people get more respect? Sadly, not today. Does a person's "character" have any real value today? Rarely.
Does being responsible, honorable, and doing the right thing have any meaning today? I don't think so, unfortunately. Many talk the talk, but few walk the honest walk, and when they do, they usually get crushed. Survival of the fittest today requires that in order not to get crushed one must play the new game of "anything goes" and "nobody cares what you do as long as you make money." Sad but True!
The new modis operandi is "accept and just move on," "confront no one about accountability," and "never impose consequences." The end justifies the means -- Machiavelli is back -- making money, achieving success, and gaining illusive power justifies whatever it took to get there.
I saw the movie, Social Network, yesterday. It was somewhat disturbing to see 19 year old college students stabbing each other in the back to this degree, initially, merely to impress girls and find acceptance with others. Then I realized I had seen the same behavior in my 7th and 8th grade students. And, I have read about the same rampant behavior all over Wall Street. They got huge rewarding bonuses for this behavior and had to make no restitution to anyone. In fact, we had to bail them out in order to pay such handsome bonuses. I saw the same attitude with the BP oil disaster. Big business minimizing the ramifications and their own culpability. The Bush Administration has never been held accountable for forcing the U.S. into war under false premises nor had to account for the trillions of dollars this war cost Americans , the thousands of lives lost, nor the billions piled into the coffers of the big businesses who benefitted from being at war with Iraq. Even Obama tells us just to "move on." And the Catholic Church still demands devotion to a Vatican City and Pope who have condoned pedophilia by their deliberate deceit in attempting to gloss over the magnitude of the problem perpetrated by many of their priests. Does money absolve people of being found guilty of having done things that hurt the welfare of others? I believe this is the new code of ethics -- if you have enough money, you have no need for ethics in today's world. There are no consequences for immoral or even illegal behavior committed by rich people any more.
So the question becomes, what is the motivation to be an honest, ethical person today? What is the payoff? Not in the next world but in today's world. Do honest, ethical people get more respect? Sadly, not today. Does a person's "character" have any real value today? Rarely.
Does being responsible, honorable, and doing the right thing have any meaning today? I don't think so, unfortunately. Many talk the talk, but few walk the honest walk, and when they do, they usually get crushed. Survival of the fittest today requires that in order not to get crushed one must play the new game of "anything goes" and "nobody cares what you do as long as you make money." Sad but True!
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