One of the things I hate most about clichés is that whenever I experience milestone experiences, I have to admit they are true. There’s nothing unique or original about my feelings except that they are mine.

So, as I witnessed my daughter Samara turn 18, my mind and heart flooded with trite and corny thoughts and emotions: “Where did the time go?” “How did the little girl who needed me to kiss away her boo-boos and bad dreams turn into an independent young lady eager to leave the nest?”

My chest fills with pride as I acknowledge the fine woman she has become, yet my heart aches as I mourn the loss of all the previous Samaras stored in the archives of my memories -- the baby, the toddler, the pre-teen, and the petulant adolescent.

I know I have to accept a more limited but still important role in her future – to encourage, support, and, where possible, facilitate these hopes and blessings:

Samara, always believe in yourself. Trust your instincts and pursue your dreams.

Know that you are smart enough, strong enough, and good enough to endure any setback and find a way through or around any obstacle.

Be careful. Recognize and resist temptations. Build and protect your character and your reputation.

Nurture your ability to feel and express gratitude, to forgive yourself and others who let you down, and, above all, to give and receive love.

Fill your life with good people and your mind with positive thoughts.

Go forth and pursue your destiny.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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At my daughter's bat mitzvah five years ago I offered the following longer blessing. Perhaps you will find some use for it.

May you always believe in yourself.
Never doubt your worthiness or your capacity for achievement, endurance, and growth.
In all that is important to you, persist with confidence that you are smart enough and strong enough to find a way through or around any obstacle.
Never be without hope, for within you is all you will ever need.
And never doubt that you are truly lovable; don’t worry about the approval or affection of any who are unworthy of appreciating who and what you are.
May you always be honest.
Be honest with yourself and others. Stay true to your beliefs.
Don’t resort to or rely on deception or concealment.
Safeguard your integrity, build your credibility, always be someone who can be trusted.
May you feel and express gratitude, giving it freely but never needing it.
Appreciate people and the good things in your life. Gratitude isn’t a debt to be paid but a key to a treasure chest filled with the fullness of life.
Give without need or expectation of approval or gratitude. Cherish every moment of happiness and never let unkind or ungrateful people harden your heart or ruin your day.
May you be resilient.
Learn to control your attitudes and you will control your life. Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. Never extend suffering by giving in to self-pity.
Resolve to bounce back from every setback.
Don’t surrender to the idea of failure; it’s a myth. You will never fail as long as you recover and learn.
Never doubt that your focused will is enough to overcome disappointments, frustrations, and even great tragedies.
May you always love.
Know that your heart may be wounded from time to time but that it will always heal if you have the good sense to love yourself.
Safeguard the part of you that is loving, compassionate, and generous.
Choose to be kind even to those who don’t seem to deserve it and even when you’re not in the mood.
Don’t let grudges or resentments ruin important relationships or harden your heart. Let the bad things go.
Truly forgive others, not only for them but for you.
May you be happy.
Remember, happiness is always within your grasp. You will be as happy as you are willing to be.
Don’t confuse happiness with pleasure and never underestimate the lasting joy of feeling worthy.
Find meaning and purpose in love and service, knowing the happiness that comes from making others happy.
Finally, my dear Samara, may you find a life mate who appreciates you, is patient with you, and loves you as I do -- completely and forever.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comment (4)

When we think about character, we tend to envision really big things, like taking heavy risks, committing bold acts of integrity, being grandly generous, or making tough sacrifices.

Such noble choices indicate character, but for the most part, our integrity is revealed in much smaller events, like apologizing when we’re wrong, giving to causes we believe in, being honest when it may be embarrassing, or returning shopping carts.

One of my favorite stories is about a father who asked his son to return a cart they had just used. The son protested, “C’mon, Dad. There are carts all over. No one returns them. That’s why they hire people to collect them.”

After a short argument, mom chimed in, “For heaven's sake, it’s no big deal. Let’s go.”

Dad was about to surrender when he saw an elderly couple walking together to return their cart.

He said, “Son, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who put their carts away and those who don’t. We’re the kind who return theirs. Now go return the cart.”

Which kind are you?

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comment (8)

A popular way to encourage charitable donations is to invoke people to “give till it hurts.” Mrs. Rosario Rivera, an elementary school teacher in Puerto Rico, takes a very different approach, urging her students to "give until it feels good."

Mrs. Rivera teaches English at the José Ramón Rodriguez Elementary School in the town of Coamo in Puerto Rico. Her school is one of the 205 schools piloting the CHARACTER COUNTS! program (called Tus Valores Cuentan in Puerto Rico).

To stimulate her students’ sense of charity and empathy, she showed her class a movie about a young boy dying of cancer. A few weeks later she told her students she had received a letter from the American Cancer Society seeking donations for cancer research. She put an empty can on her desk and encouraged her students to donate all their leftover change for the next few weeks. The class raised $32.

But that wasn’t enough. Mrs. Rosario had long, beautiful hair all the way to her waist. It was a source of pride and pleasure, so when she told her students she was going to cut off her hair and donate it to the Locks of Love Foundation so cancer patients could have wigs with real hair, her students were astonished. I suspect some were doubtful that she would follow through – until she came to class with short hair and showed her students a shipping box filled with a very long braid. She told them how good it made her feel to give away something that was so important to her to help children.

That’s what it means to be a good role model.

So, are you surprised that several girls in her class declared their intention to follow her example?

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comment (0)

More often than we like, most of us face choices that can have serious and lasting impact on our lives. Do we go along with the crowd? Do we tell someone off, quit a job, or end a relationship? Unfortunately, these decisions are not preceded by a drum roll warning us that the stakes are high. Even worse, we often don’t have a lot of time to figure out what to do.

It’s no surprise that most bad decisions – the ones that mess up our lives – are made impulsively or without sufficient reflection.

Ancient proverbs tell us to “count to ten when you’re angry” or “think ahead.” But anger and lack of preplanning are only two factors that can impede excellent decision making. Fatigue, fear, frustration, stress, impatience, and emotions also create obstacles to wise choices.

Just as we learned to look both ways before we cross the street, we can learn to analyze every important decision-making situation to allow us to arrive at conclusions that are both effective and ethical.

Each decision, therefore, should start with a stop – a forced moment of reflection to help us clarify our goal, evaluate the completeness and credibility of our information, and devise an alternate strategy, if necessary, to achieve the best possible result. Stopping also allows us to muster our moral willpower to overcome temptations and emotions that could lead to a rash, foolish, or ill-considered decision.

While it’s great to have a day or two to sleep on a problem, or even a few hours, many situations don’t afford us that luxury. But a pause of even a few seconds can often be enough.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you to think ahead because character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comment (1)

Looking back on your life, what would you change if you could?

In the classic 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life, the main character, a small-town bank officer played by Jimmy Stewart, is about to commit suicide when an angel shows him how different the lives of people in Bedford Falls would be if he hadn’t been born. The movie is a favorite because it affirms how each of us touches others' lives and shapes the future in unexpected and often marvelous ways.

More modern films like Back to the Future, Sliding Doors, and Frequency are built on a similar premise: If you change the past, you change the future – often in dramatic and unpredictable ways. If you change one thing, you change everything.

Given the potential impact of every decision you make, it’s wise to think ahead. Although few things turn out exactly as we plan, the better we understand how our choices start a chain reaction of events, the more likely we are to get what we want.

The enormous complexity of cause and effect leads to another conclusion: It’s futile to look back at our lives with "what if" scenarios. What’s done is done. Although changing our past would change our present, it would do so in ways that are so unpredictable that we could never know whether it would be for better or worse.

Accept and celebrate the fact that what you are today is a direct result of everything that’s happened to you. It’s pointless to wish things were different. Remember, if you change one thing, you change everything.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comment (0)

Tim Wrightman, a former All-American UCLA football player, tells a story about how, as a rookie lineman in the National Football League, he was up against the legendary pass rusher Lawrence Taylor. Taylor was not only physically powerful and uncommonly quick but a master at verbal intimidation.

Looking young Tim in the eye, he said, “Sonny, get ready. I’m going to the left and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Wrightman coolly responded, “Sir, is that your left or mine?”

The question froze Taylor long enough to allow Wrightman to throw a perfect block on him.

It’s amazing what we can accomplish if we refuse to be afraid. Fear – whether it’s of pain, failure, or rejection – is a toxic emotion that creates monsters in our mind that consume self-confidence and intimidate us from doing our best or sometimes even trying at all.
As a law professor, I saw scores of capable students fail the bar exam, not because they didn’t know enough but because their anxiety hindered their ability to remember or coherently express what they did know.

For most law graduates, passing the bar exam should be no more difficult than walking across a board 20 feet long and two feet wide. The trouble is, they don’t walk normally because they’re intimidated by the illusion that the board is suspended 100 feet in the air and that getting across is a life-or-death matter. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Embarrassment, inconvenience, and expense – but none of these is fatal.

Perspective is an antidote to fear. Most things you fear will never happen, and even if they do, you can handle it.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comment (3)

Relentless rehashing of Casey Anthony’s trial and her present whereabouts, the ever-widening scandal involving media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Britain’s top cops, and shameless posturing by feuding politicians unwilling to agree on a budget, all make it so hard to pay attention to more important things, like the human dimension of unemployment, the suffering of soldiers maimed and killed in faraway wars, and the ongoing tribulations of victims of forgotten disasters in Haiti and Japan.

Consider the parable of a doctor driving through a poor part of town. He was in a hurry, so he ignored a young by trying to flag him down. But, as he slowed for a traffic light, his car was hit by a brick. The man got out of the car and screamed, “You’ll go to jail for this!”

The boy cried, “Take me to jail, but first please call someone to help my mom. She’s on the floor in our apartment and I think she’s dying. We have no phone and I couldn’t get anyone to stop – I didn’t know what else to do.”

Filled with shame, the doctor rushed to the woman’s aid and saved her life with CPR. Of course, he didn’t call the police, and he made sure the boy was taken care of as his mom was taken to the hospital.

When the doctor got home and told his wife, she said, “Well, that dent will cost you $1,000 to fix.”

“No, it won’t," he said. "I’m not fixing the dent. I'm going to leave it as it is to remind me that not everyone in need has a brick.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comment (2)

While teachers can have a lifelong effect on the way students think, psychologist Haim Ginott has focused on a more immediate aspect of impact: the creation of a positive or negative physical and emotional environment that can determine the quality of a child's life.

"I've come to a frightening conclusion," he said. "I am the decisive element in the classroom. My personal approach creates the climate. My daily mood makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. It is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized."

Yet as profound as this observation is for professional educators, it's even more so for parents. A parent's power to create the daily climate and lasting environment in which a child grows is so awesome it must be used consciously and responsibly.

Since our daily moods make the weather, we should try to shield our children from the thunder and lightning of our frustrations and anger. Instead of the dark clouds of cynicism, fear, and depression, we should discipline our own emotions and give them the light and warmth of love, hope, and good cheer. Conscious efforts to be positive, enthusiastic, and supportive can have a huge impact not only on the emotional well-being of our children, but on their ability to experience the joys and pains of childhood in healthy and constructive ways.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comment (2)

The story unfolding in England about reporters at Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid hacking into voicemails is disturbing. It appears that the practice was extensive and had been going on for a long time.

For the offending reporters and editors, it was just business. Private information is a valuable commodity, and every day more is needed. That’s a lot of pressure, the kind of pressure that breeds a “whatever it takes” attitude unencumbered by ethical niceties.

We’ve seen it before -- business executives manipulating reports and teachers falsifying test results to meet their goals. In all these cases, employees who violate basic norms of decency as well as the law say they had no choice. The possibility of losing their jobs was all the justification they needed.

Our instincts to “look out for number one” are natural and powerful, but integrity and honor stand no chance if we accept the idea that fear of losing a job or other forms of self-interest are moral “get out of jail free” cards.

Beware of the false necessity trap, the belief that anything necessary for our survival or well-being is justified. First, we often call things necessary when they are simply desirable. As Nietzsche said, “Necessity is not a fact, it’s an interpretation.” Second, personal necessity doesn’t trump ethics.

In fact, even from the perspective of long-term self-interest, it’s much better to resist than to surrender to pressure.

Losing your job isn’t nearly as costly as losing your honor. That’s why people of character do the right thing even when it costs more than they want to pay.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comment (17)

Racing dogs are trained to chase a mechanical rabbit that always goes a little faster than the fleetest dog. This causes them to run faster than they otherwise would.

Companies that annually set overly ambitious performance objectives for their employees employ this greyhound principle. To a point, it works. Most people achieve more when expectations are set high.

The strategy turns negative, however, when firms chasing Wall Street’s rabbit continually set “no-excuses” double-digit growth goals without regard to market realities (including multiple competitors driving toward the same goals) or systemic understaffing (part of the “do more with less” philosophy). Consequently, many corporate leaders are caught up in a ceaseless upward spiral of stress.

Yes, the financial rewards for such success are ample, but the driving motivation is usually not greed and certainly not job satisfaction – it’s fear. This can often morph into desperation, a dangerous mindset that can spawn imprudent short-term decisions and outright cheating.

It’s unwise and unethical to ignore the business and moral implications of aggressive growth strategies that put executives under unprecedented, unrelenting, and unreasonable pressure.

On one level, it’s a matter of values. Work-life balance should be more than a rhetorical ideal. A good company cares about its people. The path to career success shouldn’t be littered with the ruins of failed marriages and neglected children.

On another level, it’s long-term self-interest. Without an abundant and replenishing pool of talented and committed leaders, no company will succeed for long. The organizations that will pull away in the next decades are those that can attract and retain the best talent because they're places where those people want to work – and that will take a lot more than money.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comment (2)

It’s been 14 glorious years since Harry Potter was first introduced to the world. I truly loved each of the seven books and enjoyed the eight movies I’ve seen already . I’ve had lots of company -- over 450 million books have been sold, and the movies (not counting the film just released) have taken in $6.5 billion in box office revenues. Though the books and movies are classics, this week’s opening of the last movie marks a symbolic end to the magical reign of J.K. Rowling’s imagination.

A young woman named Michelle Viscardi says it beautifully, reflecting in a blog post on her childhood during this last summer before college. A passionate Potter fan since she was four, Michelle wrote this in anticipation of attending the midnight premiere of the last episode in the Potter epic:

With the coming of this evening I can’t help but feel like I’m going to actually lose myself. I feel like I’m going to walk out of that theater and the child in me is still going to be sitting in the seat looking up at the screen in distress. . . . Harry Potter has been and will always be a huge aspect of my life. . . . My whole life has been with this series. . . . It’s been . . . important in making me who I am today. . . . I know some think it’s ridiculous . . . but for everyone out there who has loved and stuck with Harry, and Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, Dumbledore and the rest, it’s truly sad [to say goodbye]. . . . Hogwarts will always be my home. Harry will always be my friend.

It’s a worthy tribute to an exceptional literary achievement.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 took in $43.5 million at the midnight box office in North America — the biggest midnight opening of all time. Potter earned almost 50% more than previous midnight champion, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which earned $30 million from midnight shows when it was released in June of 2010.

The Harry Potter franchise is estimated to be the most profitable film franchise ever. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the eighth and final film has already grossed more than $100 million at the worldwide box office. If momentum keeps rising, this may be the biggest worldwide opening of all time.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comment (3)

Reports of widespread cheating by schools in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other districts – highlighted by the huge scandal in Atlanta involving 178 teachers and principals – should be alarming.

If our educators don’t have the moral courage and integrity to resist pressures to cheat, what hope do we have that they will successfully instill these virtues in their students?

According to Josephson Institute’s 2010 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth based on a survey of more than 40,000 high school students, 59% admitted cheating on an exam at least once within the past year.

Though the cheating rate has been about 60% for more than a decade, very few schools have made a concerted effort to address the problem. What’s more, parents haven’t put any pressure on schools to do so. Perhaps no one thinks it’s a problem.

It’s seemingly impossible to summon any interest, let alone outrage, about the fact that student performance is regularly and rampantly inflated, that the typical high school culture permits and thereby promotes cheating, or that extensive cheating prevents learning (why study when you can cheat?).

The stakes are higher than they seem when we consider the impact of this generation's entering the workforce to become our future nurses and nuclear inspectors, corporate executives and cops, paramedics and politicians?

Cheating is a habit-forming coping mechanism, and unless we take steps to reverse the trend, you can bet that we will see and suffer from more economy-damaging frauds and credibility-destroying scandals in the coming years.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

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For more details on the scandal in Georgia, see the footnotes to Tuesday's commentary Even Our Schools Are Cheating, including an excerpt from the official report of the Governor's Special Investigators.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comment (2)

While window-shopping in New York City, I saw an old gold watch that reminded me of one my father gave me when I graduated from college. It had been engraved with the simple inscription “Love, Dad.” But it was stolen during a burglary years ago, and I hadn’t thought much of it or the inscription since.

I always knew my dad loved me. I took it for granted. He was supposed to. I was his son. I’m always a bit shocked when I run into people who have had a different experience. The truth is, not all dads love their kids, and those who do don’t always express it. I had no idea how lucky I was.

Until I became a father myself, I had no way of understanding the depth and intensity of his feelings and the emotional investment he had in my happiness. I couldn’t imagine how much it must have hurt him when I was cut from my baseball team or dumped by my first girlfriend, or how proud he’d be today seeing me become the kind of father he taught me to be.

I always assumed I loved my dad and he knew it, but the truth is, my love was shallow and unexplored. I never came close to feeling or expressing gratitude for all the ways he made my childhood safe, comfortable, and fun. I wish I had given him that gift.

Of course, my dad wasn’t perfect. He had flaws like everyone else. It’s so easy to overweigh our parents’ shortcomings, underweigh their virtues, and undervalue their love.

What’s not easy is experiencing and expressing gratitude while it still matters.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comment (3)

Most Americans condemn cheating in sports, business, and marriage, yet our culture is pervaded by cheating. Premier athletes use performance-enhancing drugs, cheating in business ravages our economy, and the media regularly exposes infidelity by prominent personalities and politicians.

But it gets worse. Atlanta’s public school system, which won national recognition and millions of dollars of awards for apparent improvements in student test performance, is embroiled in the largest school cheating scandal ever: 44 of 56 schools and 178 teachers and principals allegedly were involved in altering student tests; eighty-two have confessed.

Even our schools cheat?

As Lily Tomlin said, “No matter how cynical I get, I just can’t keep up.”

Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s substantial evidence of teacher cheating in at least half a dozen other states – and altering the answer sheets is just the most blatant form of cheating. It’s likely that thousands of teachers are pumping up test scores by giving students advance exposure to test questions.

When widespread cheating occurs, lots of people blame the system or the test for subjecting individuals to seductive temptations or putting heavy pressure on them to earn bonuses or keep their jobs. Many argue that it's human nature to put self-interest above honor.

This is a dangerous rationalization.

People of character don’t surrender their integrity to greed, self-indulgence, or fear; they do the right thing even when it costs more than they want to pay. We should expect nothing less, especially from those entrusted with the intellectual and moral development of our children.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

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The Georgia report called test-tampering "an open secret." In one school, a group of teachers brought students' answer sheets to a teacher's home and held a "changing party."

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the teachers union complained about cheating in Atlanta in 2005, but it was ignored. Though the union has been critical of the testing and extreme consequences associated with test scores under No Child Left Behind, to her credit Ms. Weingarten said cheating "under any circumstances is unacceptable."

Interim Superintendent Errol Davis replaced four superintendents, and trustees of the DeSoto Independent School District near Dallas placed Kathy Augustine on leave as they re-examine her previous post. Augustine denied any knowledge of test cheating as Atlanta's deputy superintendent.

A report by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said Atlanta school administrators emphasized test results "to the exclusion of integrity and ethics." A third-grade teacher told investigators that "there are ways that APS (Atlanta Public Schools) can get back at you" if teachers don't go along. "APS is run like the mob," the teacher said.

The Atlanta investigation found a "culture of fear, intimidation, and retaliation" that spread district-wide over the last decade.

Recently evidence was published strongly suggesting that similar cheating occurred at Baltimore and Washington, DC schools and evidence of test-tampering has been uncovered in California, Florida, Ohio, and Michigan.

In 2007, The Dallas Morning News found more than 50,000 cases of student cheating on high-stakes state tests, with 90% of students, in some cases, showing suspicious answer patterns.

At least 10 states require that student scores be the main criterion in teacher evaluations. In some areas, teachers may earn a large bonus if scores climb.

__________

This is text taken directly from the official report of the Governor's Special Investigators. The level of detail leaves no doubt at all that this was a thorough, ongoing, planned fraud orchestrated from the highest level, and that hundreds of teachers and principals complied. The corruption was, however, ultimately exposed by a courageous whistleblower. The report is chilling and the conclusions scathing. Here are the first few paragraphs of the overview:

Thousands of school children were harmed by widespread cheating in the Atlanta Public School System (APS). ln 30 schools, educators confessed to cheating. We found cheating on the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) in 44 of the 56 schools we examined, and uncovered organized and systemic misconduct within the district as far back as 2001. Superintendent Beverly Hall and senior staff knew, or should have known, that cheating and other offenses were occurring. Many of the accolades, and much of the praise, received by APS over the last decade were ill-gotten.

We identified 178 educators as being involved in cheating. Of these, 82 confessed. Thirty-eight of the 178 were principals, from two-thirds of the schools we examined. The 2009 erasure analysis suggests that there were far more educators involved in cheating, and other improper conduct, than we were able to establish sufficiently to identify by name in this report.

A culture of fear and a conspiracy of silence infected this school system, and kept many teachers from speaking freely about misconduct. From the onset of this investigation, we Were confronted by a pattern of interference by top APS leadership in our attempt to gather evidence. These actions delayed the completion of this inquiry and hindered the truth-seeking process.

The APS General Counsel told us that one of her main duties was to provide Superintendent Hall with "deniability." Her aim was to insulate Dr. Hall from the burden of responsibility for making difficult decisions. This veil of deniability at the school level was aptly illustrated by long-time Gideons Elementary principal Armstead Salters, who told his teachers: "lf anyone asks you anything about this, just tell them you don't know . . . just stick to the story and it will go away."

There was a failure of leadership throughout APS with regard to the ethical administration of the 2009 CRCT. There are two main reasons for this failure. Dr. Hall's insular style and her isolation from the rank-and-file was a major factor. ln addition, Dr. Hall and her top managers refused to accept responsibility for anything other than success. As Dr. Hall's Chief of Staff, Sharron Pitts, explained to us, "nobody ever wants to take responsibility for anything" in APS.

Deputy Superintendent Kathy Augustine oversaw daily classroom instruction, and operated as the de facto second-in-command. She told us that she should not be held responsible for cheating that took place in APS classrooms under her authority. While this may be an appropriate defense to criminal charges, it is an absurd leadership concept. Dr. Hall and her senior cabinet accepted accolades when those below them performed well, but they wanted none of the burdens of failure.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comment (7)

As a full-time ethicist – can you believe there is such a thing? – I spend most of my time talking about right and wrong with parents and politicians, kids and corporate managers, journalists and generals.

One thing I’ve learned is that ethics – being a good person and doing the right thing – is easier said than done.

Ethics, or the lack of it, is everywhere. It’s in the news, in schools, in the workplace, in sports, in parenting, you name it.

Ethics would be easy to adhere to if we never wanted to do things we know are wrong. Unfortunately, if you’re like me, there’s a constant struggle between what I want to do (my desires) and what I should do (my ethical duties).

I want to avoid taxes, pay lower insurance premiums, and have the freedom to go through the “10 Items or Less” line with 14 items. Business executives want larger profits, politicians want more power, lawyers want to win.

Too often, our wants overcome our ambitions toward honor and virtue. We lie occasionally or cheat a little. As a result, there’s a hole in our moral ozone, and it’s getting bigger. It’s going to take moral courage and real character to repair that hole.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comment (2)

Preface: The 90-second limit for my radio commentaries precludes a more thorough discussion of some issues. This “essay" is an expanded version of what was broadcast. Please remember my personal views in the commentaries, especially on controversial matters like these, are NOT views either endorsed or espoused by the Institute or the CHARACTER COUNTS! program. The Institute and CHARACTER COUNTS! simply advocate respectful and civil discourse on such issues. As always, I invite your reaction.

Based on letters and posts to my commentary blog, I disappointed or disgusted more listeners and readers in this past week than in any other week in the nearly 15-year history of these messages.

During the week, I shared my dismay and anger about the Casey Anthony trial, concluding with a tacky reference to her and O.J. Simpson as a possible couple. Many listeners took me to task – and rightly so. I wrote the commentary under the influence of passion and frustration, failing to follow my own advice. On review, I’m ashamed of this one. It was basically a self-indulgent tirade. What's worse, it could add fuel to unfair and potentially dangerous denunciations of jurors who clearly did their job to the best of their ability. I let down those who come to my commentaries for more thoughtful analysis. You deserve better, and I sincerely apologize for this lapse of judgment.

The number and tone of the negative letters on the Casey Anthony trial, however, paled in comparison to the reaction to my commentary about same-sex marriage.

As I predicted, that reaction was split between those who agreed with me, or at least thought my participation in this controversy was appropriate, and those who disagreed, not only with my conclusion but with my decision to give my opinion at all. As you might imagine, the naysayers were much more vigorous than the supporters.

I was pleased that many who expressed fervent objection to my remarks did so in a thoughtful and respectful manner appropriate to civil discourse. Still, lots of letters were viciously hostile. They didn’t just criticize my opinion, they condemned me personally. I was called Godless, gutless, and characterless. I was accused of cowardice and selling out. Several made the point that they would never again listen to or quote anything I say. They promised to boycott the Josephson Institute and any other program I’m associated with.

This was upsetting but not surprising. I've talked many times about the inability or unwillingness of some people to believe in and advocate for their convictions without demeaning or demonizing those who are equally sincere and passionate in coming to different conclusions.

Unlike my Casey Anthony rant, which was rash, I thought long and hard about my remarks on same-sex marriage. I wrote and recorded the commentary knowing full well that whichever way I went would please some and upset others.

To some, the issues of homosexuality and marriage are conclusively in the domain of their particular religious beliefs. Others view this as a social-political issue. There's no doubt that the religious and political aspects of the question of same-sex unions are significant, and I truly understand and respect positions grounded in religious or political ideology.

For me, however, the ethical implications of permitting or preventing gay and lesbian adults to have their committed relationships treated the same as those of fellow citizens involved in historically traditional relationships are important and well within the domain of my mission.

In fact, my personal view on this issue evolved over the past few years as I tried to better understand the varying positions during the debate in California of Proposition 8, a referendum on same-sex marriage. During the debate, conversations with partisans on both sides helped me better understand the sincerity of those who believe homosexuality is a sinful choice that shouldn't be condoned in any way, as well as those who speak from personal experience and assert that their sexual disposition is inborn and that it is wrong to treat them as sinners or to view their committed relationships as morally or legally inferior. Many are religious people who believe they are the way God made them.

These discussions helped me realize that, whether people proudly proclaim or diligently try to conceal their sexual orientation, being gay subjects them to a wide range of abuses and prejudices. I also came to realize that the issue of relationship equality is profoundly important to them. And by "them," I refer not to a nameless, faceless constituency but to millions of real people – sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and co-workers – who I believe are entitled to be judged, loved, and treated on their merits as human beings, not on their sexual dispositions. (I'm less concerned with whether the term “marriage” or “civil union” is applied to the legalistic aspects of their relationship as I am with my belief that gay and lesbian men and women should not be treated or thought of as second-class citizens.)

I did not come to this conclusion casually, and I did so knowing there would be significant negative impact from my decision to express my opinion. I do not ignore or belittle the many good and decent people, especially conservative Christians and Jews (many of whom I'm proud to call my friends), who have been most vocal on this issue and most offended and angry by my previous commentary.

As a lifelong student of comparative religion and various theories of how the holy scriptures of each religion came to be written, I came to realize that theological debates within each religion – and even within the same denomination within each religion – about the source, translation, meaning, and modern applicability of certain passages, are intense and fundamentally irreconcilable. Thus, no matter what "side" one chooses on any disputed issue, there are those who are convinced you are wrong.

Regardless of the roots and content of my current religious beliefs, however, I view the message of love, acceptance, and forgiveness preached by Jesus to be among the most constructive and impactful ever articulated. I could wear a "What would Jesus do?" bracelet as a guide to personal behavior. In fact, it is this message of love and acceptance that is, I think, the most commonly accepted theme of all Christian denominations and many other religions.*

You may disagree, but my interpretation of the thrust and theme of the philosophy of Jesus leads to the belief that, were he presented with the question, he would be tolerant and accepting.

The bottom line is that my opinion in support of the New York law allowing same-sex marriages and my decision to express that opinion represent my sincere conviction that it was the right thing to do. Doing what I thought was right has cost more than I wanted to pay, but I don’t regret doing it.

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* I definitely do not want to get into scriptural debates as I confess I do not feel bound by every ritual or behavioral prescription condoned or commanded in the Bible. (Religious Tolerance is a useful source of some troublesome passages, while Hard Verses does a good job of rebutting arguments of selective application of Biblical passages.) In some people’s eyes, that decision alone disqualifies me as someone worth listening to.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comment (29)

Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, Confucius was asked, “Is there one word that may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life?”

He answered, “Reciprocity. What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” This basic principle, now called the Golden Rule, can be found in every major religion and philosophy.

Although many people evoke one version or another of this rule, it’s often misused. You see, the Golden Rule is not primarily a rule of enlightened self-interest. Sure, people are more likely to be nice to you if you’re nice to them, but the moral center of this principle is lost if you simply view it as a rule of exchange: Do unto others so they will do unto you. Do unto others as they have done unto you. Do unto others before they do unto you.

The core of the Golden Rule is a moral obligation to treat others ethically for their sake, not ours, even if it’s better than the way they treat us. Therefore, we should be honest to liars, fair to the unjust, kind to cruel people.

Why? Certainly not because it’s advantageous, but because it’s right. And because the way we treat others is about who we are, not who they are. It’s like the man who broke off an argument that had descended into name-calling by saying, “Sir, I will treat you as a gentleman – not because you are one, but because I am one.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comment (7)

As a former law professor specializing in teaching trial practice, I watched hours and hours of the Casey Anthony murder trial with a keen professional eye.

I thought Ms. Anthony’s lead attorney Jose Baez made some terrible decisions, including an opening statement proposing a totally unbelievable theory designed to excuse his client’s mountain of lies and explain how her two-year-old’s dead body was dumped in a swamp.

I was distressed by his mediocre lawyering skills and appalled by his failure to offer any evidence supporting theories he boldly advanced in his opening statement.

I know it’s tough to prove a murder on circumstantial evidence, but it happens all the time and the prosecutors convinced me beyond a reasonable doubt.

I got on a plane yesterday morning confident justice would be done, but on landing I found a slew of text messages telling me otherwise – Casey Anthony was acquitted.

I suppose I should defend the justice system, admit my fallibility in discerning the truth, and express respect and gratitude to the jurors for doing their duty. I guess I’m just a bad sport, but I can’t let go of the feeling of outrage.

Even now I’m aghast, amazed, and deeply disturbed. I can’t fathom how not one single juror believed what seemed so obvious to me after listening to the evidence and arguments – Casey Anthony killed her child, packaged her in a garbage bag, dumped her body, and invented a long string of blatant lies to explain her absence.

Perhaps I’ll feel more philosophical tomorrow, but for now my outrage is softened only slightly by the fantasy that Casey will meet and marry O.J. Simpson – they deserve each other.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

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Beyond the injustice of the trial itself and the failure to hold anyone accountable for the child’s death is the reality that Casey and her lawyer are likely to get very rich from this case. She will be paid huge sums for her story and probably be offered acting, modeling and other jobs. She not only got away with murder she will profit from it.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comment (34)

I recently attended the USAIGC National Girls Gymnastics Championships to see my daughter Carissa compete. It was nerve-racking on several levels.

Though my wife owns and operates a highly successful gymnastics academy (JAG Gym in Culver City), and I am very familiar with every aspect of the sport, it’s hard not to worry about the possibility of injury on every cartwheel on the four-inch-wide balance beam and on every tumbling run, release move, and dismount.

Another source of pressure is the scoring system. Every athlete begins each event with the perfect score of 10. The judge’s job is to search for imperfections and deduct points for every form break, wobble or fall.

This places a huge premium on not making mistakes of any sort. In such a high-level competition every flaw can be fatal. Every girl knows how to execute every move in her routine but many can’t avoid being preoccupied with “not messing up.”

Thank goodness, real life is not like gymnastics. We are not judged only in terms of our shortcomings, mistakes, and failures. Growth, creativity, and innovation require risk-taking.

Fortunately, there's no scorekeeper docking us for every misstep. We can trip and fall, get up, and start again as many times as we want. Most important, it's never too late to be successful. It's never too late to be happy. It's never too late to be significant. So, go for it!

By the way, my daughter placed fourth in the all-around competition and won first place in the balance beam.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comment (5)

We celebrate this year’s Fourth of July holiday at a time when millions of people in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen are at various stages of their own struggle to replace dictators with some form of democracy.

It’s a good reminder that the fight for liberty has always required courage. In our own case, 56 men we now call our Founding Fathers risked their lives and fortunes and pledged their sacred honor when they issued one of the great political documents in human history: the Declaration of Independence.

Not all were noble visionaries dedicated to the great principles of democracy, though quite a few were, including John Adams and his cousin Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.

But the men who joined together in a momentous act of treason against England genuinely and consciously engaged in a grand act of moral courage that resulted in the realization of a political ideal that still stands as a great symbol of democracy, the most inherently ethical political philosophy known to man.

And the risks were real. Some signers died or were wounded in battle. Some were captured. Some saw their sons killed or captured during the war. And some had their homes looted or burned.

So, when we barbeque and watch fireworks, we ought to take a moment to remember that what we have is built on a foundation of moral courage and character.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comment (0)

The Fourth of July should be more than a birthday celebration marked by fireworks. It's a time to appreciate and honor the great democracy our forefathers created, including a profoundly wise system of Constitutional checks and balances.

Conflicting views of rights and responsibilities are unavoidable, but passionate disagreement and debate should strengthen rather than undermine our commitment to peacefully and respectfully resolving differences. It does not serve us well when our most cherished principles are being assaulted under the banner of what some people call a "cultural war."

The process of refining our definition of liberty in a manner that balances personal freedoms against various perspectives of a good society is continuous and endless. Every decade has seen momentous conflicts involving civil and religious rights, including prohibition, polygamy, pornography, capital punishment, abortion, and homosexuality. In each case, court decisions pleased some and infuriated others.

I disagree with lots of majority decisions of the Supreme Court. Still, I think it unwise and essentially unpatriotic to attack the court system and vilify judges when we disagree with a judgment.

The issues that reach the Supreme Court are important. But I think it is vastly more important that we have and support a method of peacefully and thoughtfully resolving ideological rifts that threaten our ability to live together in respectful peace.

If we lose confidence in the wisdom or integrity of the judicial process and try to rig it so we’ll get the answers we want, we will all someday find ourselves on the other side of ideological tyranny.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comment (3)