When Did Fairness and Truth Become Relative?
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
" - Thomas Jefferson When did fairness and truth become relative? If you want to read a true, historical account of this "it's all about me" behavior, pick up a copy of "Barbarians at the Gate" written by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar.
This book is used in colleges as a textbook discussing leveraged buyouts and bidding wars surrounding the fall of RJR Nabisco.
The situation was widely reported and discussed in the Wall Street Journal and has been studied by economists.
I've often wondered why it has not made its way into some Christian schools as a study of ethics or the lack of them.
Perhaps it is the strong language that makes its way into the verbiage, but life can be ugly.
Shouldn't we Christians be aware of how the world behaves in order to be prepared to combat that attitude in our own lives? We see it every day: Abortion is OK in cases where (fill in the blank) Taking a candy bar without paying while on the honor system at work - no big deal - it's only 50 cents The company has plenty of pens and note pads, the ones in your briefcase don't amount to much Spending time on a chat line with someone other than your spouse isn't really cheating Getting unemployment checks while you get paid under the table somewhere else is OK as long as you don't get caught Taking product off the shelves at work for personal use - who will know? Enjoying a one hour lunch, but writing 30 minutes on your time card - they owe it to you - your lunch time should be an hour anyway Leaving work early for a doctor's appointment that doesn't exist - everyone does it Some employers are no better than their employee counterparts: Doctoring the books to hide owner withdrawals in expenses Charging personal expenses to the corporate credit card - I've seen grocery stores, golf fees, strip clubs and county tax bills Owners that tell employees to work "off the clock" Classifying hourly workers as salaried to avoid overtime costs Managers that abuse their staff by having them perform work for which they have neither been properly trained nor safely equipped Companies that cheat sales reps on commissions Racist hiring practices Companies that keep relatives on the payroll even though they are unproductive - in some cases, terribly counterproductive As Christians, we are called to a higher purpose.
We are not supposed to look the other way, even when we know that challenging the wrong can make it personally uncomfortable - or even worse, get us fired.
It is not how we act when things are going well that define us.
It is how we manage the ugliness of life that shows our internal strength and our commitment to playing fair.
The behavior of playing fair was mandated in kindergarten or you were sent to the corner; it seems to be an optional behavior in adulthood.
How sad a commentary on society in general.
"stand like a rock" I long to do the right thing, but sometimes I look the other way, do you? Mark 14:38 (New International Version) "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
"
" - Thomas Jefferson When did fairness and truth become relative? If you want to read a true, historical account of this "it's all about me" behavior, pick up a copy of "Barbarians at the Gate" written by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar.
This book is used in colleges as a textbook discussing leveraged buyouts and bidding wars surrounding the fall of RJR Nabisco.
The situation was widely reported and discussed in the Wall Street Journal and has been studied by economists.
I've often wondered why it has not made its way into some Christian schools as a study of ethics or the lack of them.
Perhaps it is the strong language that makes its way into the verbiage, but life can be ugly.
Shouldn't we Christians be aware of how the world behaves in order to be prepared to combat that attitude in our own lives? We see it every day: Abortion is OK in cases where (fill in the blank) Taking a candy bar without paying while on the honor system at work - no big deal - it's only 50 cents The company has plenty of pens and note pads, the ones in your briefcase don't amount to much Spending time on a chat line with someone other than your spouse isn't really cheating Getting unemployment checks while you get paid under the table somewhere else is OK as long as you don't get caught Taking product off the shelves at work for personal use - who will know? Enjoying a one hour lunch, but writing 30 minutes on your time card - they owe it to you - your lunch time should be an hour anyway Leaving work early for a doctor's appointment that doesn't exist - everyone does it Some employers are no better than their employee counterparts: Doctoring the books to hide owner withdrawals in expenses Charging personal expenses to the corporate credit card - I've seen grocery stores, golf fees, strip clubs and county tax bills Owners that tell employees to work "off the clock" Classifying hourly workers as salaried to avoid overtime costs Managers that abuse their staff by having them perform work for which they have neither been properly trained nor safely equipped Companies that cheat sales reps on commissions Racist hiring practices Companies that keep relatives on the payroll even though they are unproductive - in some cases, terribly counterproductive As Christians, we are called to a higher purpose.
We are not supposed to look the other way, even when we know that challenging the wrong can make it personally uncomfortable - or even worse, get us fired.
It is not how we act when things are going well that define us.
It is how we manage the ugliness of life that shows our internal strength and our commitment to playing fair.
The behavior of playing fair was mandated in kindergarten or you were sent to the corner; it seems to be an optional behavior in adulthood.
How sad a commentary on society in general.
"stand like a rock" I long to do the right thing, but sometimes I look the other way, do you? Mark 14:38 (New International Version) "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
"
