Ethical Authority
Why can’t we legislate decent behavior from people, particularly those in charge? Why, after all the different forms of government that have been developed, do we still have so many social problems?
So, if I am a judge, I try to discern how justice may be served, even if serving justice causes me extra work or some other kind of not so fun event. People benefit-victims and even criminals-when true justice is served rather than the charade that sometimes takes place in our courthouses.
If I am a teacher, I am concerned that my students learn. I work hard to make sure that what I teach is relevant to their lives and that the ways I teach address the ways they learn. I may go far beyond the boundaries of my actual job in order to help a student because no matter what subject I teach, I am actually teaching people.
If I am the manager of a store, I do my best to help employees find satisfaction in their jobs and to advance in the corporation, if that is what a good employee wants to do. I try to create schedules that are humane and if the corporation won’t provide material benefits, then I create intangible benefits such as a pleasant and fair work environment. I advocate on behalf of my employees to my corporation even if that means taking some risks with my own reputation among the higher ups.
If I am the CEO of a large corporation, I keep clean books and am honest with the people beneath me and my stock holders. I choose to focus on the long term global, social, and financial benefits of running an ethical business that benefits my community over the short term financial-only “benefits” of focusing solely on the bottom line.
In other words, if I am an ethical person in a position of authority, I can see other people’s perspectives and I have the self-discipline to do the right thing even when that might be inconveniencing to me or even extremely difficult for me.
In contrast, a self-centered, immature person does…what we see on the television news every day at all levels of society, from Hollywood to Washington, D.C., and all points in between. Criminal acts, bullying, violence, cheating, lying, deceiving, meanness, out of control behavior, public indecency, and so forth.
Legislation, rule books, written procedures, guidelines, and so forth can go only so far because where the rubber meets the road in terms of ethical authority lies in the gray areas between the various regulations. Attitude cannot be legislated or determined by any other person than the holder of the attitude. I can have a bad, selfish attitude and still meet all of your requirements-because I can fake a good attitude when I need to. That way I get to hold onto the authority that benefits ME.
Therefore…we desperately need GROWNUPS to be in charge.
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