Good Guys and Bad Guys 643.5
In old cowboy movies you could tell the good guys from the bad by the color of their hats. Villains wore black; heroes wore white. It made things easy. Too easy.
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I want to put black hats on all the people who discredit their professions and disgrace themselves and their families by acts of dishonesty or uncontrolled desire.
Unfortunately, the closer I look at athletes, school administrators, corporate executives, cops, politicians, and priests who continually fill the newspapers with scandals and fuel the bonfire of cynicism, the more obvious it becomes that most of them are a mixed bag of virtues and flaws – not so different from you and me.
I point this out not to minimize or excuse bad conduct but to heighten awareness of how vulnerable we all are to moral blind spots. The best defense against the seductive dark side is a strong sense of integrity and a sleepless conscience.
Poet Edgar Guest put it this way:
I have to live with myself, and so,
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as days go by
Always to look myself straight in the eye.
I don’t want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I’ve done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself as I come and go
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of man I really am.
I don’t want to dress myself up in sham.
I never can hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see.
I know what others may never know;
I never can fool myself, and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
You are missing the 3rd verse:
"I want to go out with head erect,
I want to deserve all men's respect;
But here in the struggle for fame and pelf
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to look at myself and know
That I'm all bluster and bluff and empty show."
My mom, a 3rd grade teacher for about 30 years, always had her students memorize this poem. So I, a teacher, too, had my 5th graders memorize this poem for 21 years. One even wrote to get the poem to include in her senior project! I have 3rd graders this year, and we will be memorizing all 4 stanzas. My 3rd graders have come up with their own definition of responsibility: do what you know is right, even when no one is watching. We are working on it.
Two other great poems by Edgar A. Guest are "It Couldn't Be Done" and "How Do You Tackle Your Work?"
Posted by: Connie Martin | November 5, 2009 8:42 PM
I've been in law enforcement now for over 30 years. I hate to see a scandal in the newspaper concerning a police officer, sheriff or lab employee who has been dishonest or less than honorable. This is so because the great, great majority of individuals in the law enforcement community are ethical and honest and extremely hard-working. Please note that many times the media gets things wrong or simply puts a significant, unfavorable bias into their stories. Headlines are extremely powerful tools that are used to draw attention, not necessarily to convey the truth. Honor, respect and simply doing the right thing are truly ingrained into most of the individuals who I have had the honor of working with; it is only a small few who shed an unfavorable light on the rest of us who are trying to do good, honest work in the interest of justice.
Posted by: Daniel | November 11, 2009 6:36 AM
I used to know that poem but never had to remember it. I definitely know "It Couldn't Be Done" by that poet.
My all-time favorite poem is "If" by Rudyard Kipling. That poem wraps it up and puts a bow on it.
The closest you can get to a Life Owner's Manual.
Posted by: Ken | November 12, 2009 9:16 PM
The Girl Scouts of USA have as their Promise:
On my honor I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times, and
to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
Honest and fair
Friendly and helpful,
Considerate and caring,
Courageous and strong, and
Responsible for what I say and do,
And to
Respect myself and others,
Respect authority,
Use resources wisely,
Make the world a better place, and
Be a sister to every Girl Scout.
The current Girl Scout mission notes Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.
Posted by: Marilyn | November 14, 2009 9:22 AM