The Pressure to Cheat 629.5
What’s causing the growing hole in our moral ozone? Why are cheating and lying so common in schools, on the sports field, and in business and politics? Apparently it’s a thing called pressure.
Kids are under pressure to get into college, athletes and coaches are under pressure to win, and according to a survey by the American Management Association, the pressure to meet business objectives and deadlines is the leading cause of unethical corporate behavior. The desires to further one’s career and protect one's livelihood are the second and third reasons people lie or cheat.
In other words, we take ethical shortcuts to get what we want. DUH!
Why are we so willing to shift responsibility for every form of human weakness from ourselves to the system? We don’t blame the liar; we blame the law. We don’t blame the cheater; we blame the test.
The implication is: Don’t expect me to be ethical when personal interests are at stake.
Please!
What we call pressures today used to be called temptations. Everyone knew that the test of character was our ability to resist them. Calling enticements pressures doesn’t change anything.
We must believe in and expect integrity and moral courage and not surrender when our principles are challenged. We need to expect good people to do what’s right, even when it’s difficult or costly.
Yes, lots of people act dishonorably in the face of pressure. But pressure is an explanation, not a justification. Pressures, temptations – call them what you will – are part of life. Sure, it would be helpful if we had less pressure, but it’s far more important that we have more character.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
When speaking of character, we all will at some time in our lives face the temptations and desires in the so-called dark room. It does not matter what we do or fail to do in the that room that counts. What counts is what we do after we open the door and walk out of that room that makes all the difference in our lives. You are what you really are when you are all alone.
Posted by: Steve Lapotsky | July 31, 2009 6:58 AM
I have minister colleagues who advanced their careers by reporting inflated membership gains during their tenure at a particular parish or parishes. This brought them attention, commendation, and usually promotion. But it also has brought to my denomination a generation of clergy who have mismanaged the church due to their own preoccupation about being promoted and obtaining the more lucrative parishes.
Abraham Lincoln's quote, "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time," has been realized in my church. Not only ethics, but trust, a willingness to risk one's status for the sake of others, avoiding anything controversial in order to not damage one's career, preaching uninteresting "soft" sermons, etc. has resulted in a church that more and more people are leaving.
Posted by: Roy W. | July 31, 2009 7:43 AM
As we advance under this administration to compete for funding and people lose their jobs, you will see more and more school systems reported for cheating. Some may just do it to save their jobs. It is just ridiculous that we have a country that is going to the pigs in education. Accountability is a good thing, but if the playing field is not equal from the start, why punish the players and the teams? Many will be forced to cheat as a means of survival.
Posted by: Lisa | August 8, 2009 10:16 PM