Restoring Honesty and Integrity to Our Culture Begins with Us

Most of us know that lying, cheating and dishonesty now permeate every level of our culture. This deterioration in ethics and morality is directly linked to the excesses inherent in materialism, a breeding ground for competition. The prevailing belief seems to be that there isn’t enough of anything for everyone, so you have to lie, cheat and steal to get your share.

There is no area of our society that has escaped the insidious reality of this deep and disturbing erosion of morality. A significant percentage of our political leaders and business managers have accepted the slogan that the end – achieving their desires – justifies the means. This attitude of self-interest has spawned individuals at all levels of our society who no longer feel even a slight twinge of conscience at trampling on the needs and rights of others.

This cultural failing has also yielded large numbers of people who do not keep their promises and do not tell the truth about the simplest and most benign details of their business and personal lives.

A recent experience brought home to me my own role – and my responsibility – in this moral dilemma; it also made it clear that the solution to the problem rests wholly with each one of us.

I discovered that one key individual in a business situation doesn’t always divulge all the material facts. At the time, I had no idea why this young person did this, as it was information that could determine and influence future events. This caused frustration and stress for everyone involved. Since I had chosen decades ago to live as honest and authentic a life as possible, I expected this from others. I also began to distrust the individual.

Since I didn’t feel good about simply writing the person off, I started looking for a deeper understanding. After some soul-searching, I remembered something from the past that gave me some insight. When I started in the corporate world many years ago, I felt small and insignificant in my entry-level job. I discovered that one way to feel more powerful and in control was to hold back bits of information from others. Luckily for me not only was I insignificant at that time but so was the information I withheld. I am grateful to the two wonderful and wise business leaders who mentored me and taught me by example the true and honorable path to self empowerment.

I realized that in condemning this person today, I was also denying a part of me that my ego doesn’t like to acknowledge, as it prefers blaming others instead of looking within for answers. This realization allowed me to forgo the emotion and to seek a more positive solution.

In order to deal fairly with this challenge, I knew I had to act in a way that would create a healthier situation. I chose to exercise my rights and started asking legitimate questions, which were distributed with the answers for all concerned, and simply continued questioning until all the facts were on the table.

While I don’t know whether or not the individual benefited from my choice of action, I do know that not being honest in every area of our lives does more harm to us than it does to others. The value in my own life was incalculable. Not taking any action would have meant that I condoned, allowed and went along with less than honest and transparent business dealings.

Similarly, I believe that the solution to the larger problems in our culture begins by adhering to the highest standards in all our interactions with others – publicly and privately – and to hold to these standards no matter what.

The simple truth is that we do live in an abundant universe that is based on fundamental laws such as like attracts like. We draw to us what we think and live and are ultimately responsible for what comes into our life. When any one of us lies, cheats, steals or allows or condones such actions, it takes away from the good of all. We must each set and abide by ethical and moral standards that will contribute to honesty and integrity in our culture. We need to live this for our children and grandchildren—and for the future of our nation.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch

The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within is available at Amazon.com and other online booksellers, as well as through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.