Stairway To Ethical Heaven

August 31, 2016 — compromise, corruption, dishonesty, ethics, fraud

Fraud Triangle

There is an ethical ladder that ascends to the highest moral code. As children we should be taught how to climb that ladder by example.  Unfortunately many children are witnesses to adult misbehavior that leads them to cling to a low rung on the ladder. As we go through life we respond to situations according to our ethical code.  There is a sliding scale for moral fortitude, depending on the difficulty of the stand, or the popular opposition to the truth.  It is obviously easier to go along with the crowd no matter what they do. People who stay down at that level just want to not make waves.  They do not consider how they contribute to the morality of the entire world.

At the bottom of the ethical stairway is only one consideration:

• Will I get caught?  This is where people in grade school reside.

If we mature we start to realize there could be more:

• How does my behavior effect others?  This usually comes as a hard lesson.

As educated adults participating in a community we may start to notice:

• What would the world be like if everyone acted like this?

On which rung do you live most of your life, gentle reader?   I encourage you to take the highest ground possible, not just for yourself, but for the entire world.

Compromise Triangle