A Few Thoughts on Honesty

No one is perfect.  It is both trite and true.  A more meaningful examination of human nature includes an examination of behavior patterns, tendencies of thought / cognition, personality features, and more.  Most people that I have known are willing to do the right thing when it's easy or when they want something.  However, the honesty meter seems to slide down when things are tough.

Abraham Lincoln noted, "A tree is best measured when it is fallen."  His point was that character becomes evident when we face extreme challenges and are down.  Another leader said, "Character is not made during hard times, it is revealed."  Our nature is revealed by our behavior.  Our thoughts and behavior are influenced by external and internal circumstances and processes.

For instance, most of us would say that it is wrong to steal.  It's even in the 10 Commandments, right?  However, if you are hungry (or if your child is hungry), do we maintain the perfect standard on this issue?  Would we die rather than steal?  Most of us believe that death by hunger is a bigger wrong than stealing.  But, when does that change happen?

In a time when buyers and sellers are scarce, money becomes scarce.  When money is scarce, fear abounds.  It is now when ethics are in danger.  Some that would do the right thing in good times may not feel the same way in bad times.  To whom is this blog directed?

I am speaking to those that want to believe well of themselves and yet feel conflicted at times.  If you are near the line between highly ethical behavior and compromised ethical behavior, take heart.  It means that you actually do have values.  If you have chosen badly in recent days, you do not have to repeat that fall.

If you have tainted your self-perception with an unethical decision, there is nothing forcing you to continue down that road.  Some of the best people are those that messed up really bad, came to their senses, and lived a redeemed lifestyle.  The prodigal son, Charles Colson, Alice Cooper, Betty Ford, and countless others made big mistakes.  They realized their error and began making better decisions.

One mistake does not condemn you to a stained life.  Your business can become known as a force for good.  Be encouraged.  Your past cannot determine your future, unless you allow it.