Immoral, moral and amoral. They sound similar and even have
the same root word but they are definitely not the same but they are all
inter-related. Why are these words important in a professional setting or work
place? What causes people to behave in ways that cause them to be immoral,
amoral or moral? This week I will discuss these words so that you can decide
for yourself where you fall in your daily lives.
First we must define these words: The definitions were
defined by Merriam Webster
Moral: of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior
:
conforming to a standard of right behavior
Immoral: not
morally good: morally evil or wrong.
Amoral: having or
showing no concern about whether behavior is morally right or wrong
Now that we have defined the words and have a better
understanding of what they mean, can you remember a time when coworkers or
supervisors were behaving in a manner that patterned itself after one of the
definitions? I would like to think that most people are moral at heart however,
the headline news everyday seems to show individuals that conduct themselves in
ways that are either immoral or amoral. While watching the news, I always
wonder what caused that person to act immorally or amorally. Does a person’s unique
situation cause them to go against their personal ethics or was their ethical
standards very low to begin with thus allowing them to act however they wish?
Let’s look at some of the most recent headlines.
This first article is about Rev. Al Sharpton.
Rev. Al Sharpton has a pattern of opening businesses, not
paying the taxes, having the businesses shut down for non-compliance of paying
taxes, moves and opens a new business in another state. Currently, Rev.
Sharpton is in arrears of approximately $596 thousand dollars. In my opinion,
Rev. Sharpton has shown that he is immoral based upon his actions. Rev.
Sharpton speaks about social injustice anytime he can get on camera and he is
usually the one that speaks the loudest but he cannot even pay taxes like all
the rest of us. This is no mistake, this is a pattern and a willful one at
that. Has the power that he obtained as a prominent figure in society led him
to believe that he is above the law? I think so as he has remained free and not
in prison like others.
This next article is about New York Assemblyman Sheldon
Silver.
Mr. Silver has been accused of accepting bribes and
kickbacks throughout his 21 years in public service. These incentives totaled
approximately $4 million dollars that was funneled into a law practice he owned
that did not exist. Again, for one of the most powerful democrats in New York
to believe that he was above the law shows that his personal moral compass is
severely out of calibration. The sheer amount of schemes that he participated
in just boggles the mind. He basically sold out New Yorkers after they placed
their complete trust in him to do the right thing. This to me is as plain as
day, he is immoral and thought that we would not get caught. To this day he
states that he is innocent of all charges. Well Mr. Silver there is an old
saying, where there is smoke there is fire.
As a model for a person that has a great moral character, I
have chosen the Dali Lama to use as an example. As examples of his morality,
the Dalai Lama speaks about and practices peace, compassion and tolerance.
Leaders throughout the world could learn from him if they choose to. As if his
messages are not enough, he is a previous recipient of the distinguished Nobel
Peace Prize. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. To
this day they are attempting to gain their freedom from China. Even with the
extreme amount of pressure they receive from the Chinese government, the Dalai
Lama still is a man of peace and continues to preach non-violent messages. To
continue to hold all life in such high regard is most admirable. If most
administrators and people in power would be as objective, far thinking and
moral as the Dalai Lama, imagine where society would be today.
Now we can speak about those that choose to be amoral. In my
opinion, it is extremely hard to be in the middle or on the fence as it were.
How can an individual be a supervisor and not care one way or the other if
their personnel are acting morally and ethically? I also think that they are
the reason many administrations and companies falter. If supervisors allow
conduct to occur and they know it is wrong, then why are they there? It appears
that supervisors like this do not have any control over their subordinates and
they allow them to continue their behavior in an attempt to gain their
friendship and acceptance. Supervisors like this are one of the biggest
problems within an agency. Because of their failure to take control and give
direction to their subordinates they end up causing in fighting and declining
morale. Subordinates begin to see that the supervisor is useless and that they
will not do anything one way or the other. All the supervisor wants to do is
keep himself out of trouble by not making decisions, which in the end is what
causes the problems. I do not know about you but I cannot be like this type of
person.
In conclusion, which person are you more like? Which one
would you like to emulate? Although most of us are more than likely moral, we
fall short. Do we keep trying to be moral or simply give up? No matter what
mistake we make, if we choose to we can try to redeem ourselves. Rev. Sharpton
and Mr. Silver forgot this and they habitualized their behavior as it became
easier and easier to lower their ethical standards which allows them to conduct
their immoral behavior. These men, as well as numerous others, are not leaders
they are people who used the system and their positions for personal gain. I do
not see how they can even make the claim that they are moral and ethical as
their actions betray them. I do not
believe that we need more leaders like this in our society. When are we as
citizens going to stand up and say enough is enough and find individuals that
are moral and that will do the right thing every time? If only we could be just
a little bit like the Dalai Lama and attempt to place more emphasis on morality
in each of our decisions. Our society is what we make it, so what are your
decisions going to be; moral, amoral or immoral?
No comments:
Post a Comment