Why Be Ethical

To be or not to be...Ethical, that is the question. But what exactly does it mean to be ethical? Being ethical is being in accordance with accepted principles of right and wrong. However, when you are living in an environment, surrounded by unethical people, what motivation exists for one to be ethical? Is it even worth the effort? I'd like to think so. We should be ethical simply because it is the right thing to do. The thought of living in a world where everyone is unethical is frightening.

The golden rule states do unto others as you would have others do unto you; treat others the way you would want to be treated. Not many people could honestly admit that they prefer to be taken advantage of, harmed, cheated, mistreated, or lied to. However, when we act unethically, this is essentially what we are saying. When we behave unethically towards others we open ourselves up to be treated the same way. Some would say the universe has a way of giving back to us what we put in; others call it reaping and sowing, while still others call it karma. The idea behind all of it that what goes around comes around. When we treat others unethically, sooner or later, we reap the consequences of such behavior.

We have a social responsibility to behave ethically and treat others fair and just. We have a desire and a need to get along with others in our personal lives as well as in business. When we behave unethically, we harm others and ourselves. On a personal level, families have been broken apart, friendships have been ruined, and trust obliterated due to unethical behavior. In commerce, business reputations are tarnished when leaders act unethically. Consumers lose confidence in businesses and organizations lose their ability to raise capital from lenders and investors due to the stained character of the organization. So while it may seem advantageous in the short run to behave unethically, the long term consequences have a much greater effect.

We depend on each other to behave ethically. We depend on relationships to survive socially and economically. If everyone behaved unethically, trust would no longer exist. We wouldn't be able to enter into those relationships, whether personal or business related, without the fear of being taken advantage of. We would live in total chaos, unable to work well, or get along with each other. Even though many people don't believe it is necessary to be ethical, and behave unethically on a consistent basis, I am grateful for those that do!