‘A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon the world’ – Albert Camus.
Sounds grandiose? Feels like exaggeration or overt hyperbole? It may seem so at first sight, but that cannot deny the fact that these lines still hold true, years after they were first spoken by the venerable Albert Camus. After all, in a world rife with degeneration, and where success at all costs is the mantra, where the ends justify the means for most, ethics have taken a backseat, or even conveniently forgotten in a lot of cases by many.
In such a world, should one compromise on their ethics to get on the fast track to success? Well, the obvious answer is no, after all, it takes less effort to do things in the right manner than to go about them in a wrong way and then hide your indiscretions or correct your mistakes. It is always easier to remember the truth than to lie and have to remember the many permutations and combinations of that lie.
But again, in a world where people are ready to stab each other in the back to further their own aims and get success that much quicker at the expense of friends or colleagues, is having a strong moral and ethical code even feasible? Well, that’s what we look at here.
Well, simply said, strong business relations take a lot of time to build – sometimes even years. If you are a person of integrity, morals, you will do well and form strong relationships with people of a similar nature, who value these qualities and have a bond which will be firm and unshakable, leading to good growth in the long term. However, if you are willing to compromise on your ethics in the short term for quick gains, then you will only end up alienating those who prize morals above all; and remember, these latter are the folks who inadvertently go ahead in life despite all the hurdles they face, and shape the industry and the market.
More importantly, beyond reasons of success and failures, morals and ethics are what define a person. They may be intangible concepts and not have immediate tangible results, but in the end they are what shape a person’s character and mould them into what they are. A person with weak ethics can rarely be trusted, and you do not want to be that person. After all, it is not just about success, but also about living a good life with a strong moral code and contributing to the welfare of society and the good of others like a good Samaritan, leading to inner peace and happiness. These intangible things which may at first seem without value are in fact truly priceless. If you backstab someone or compromise on your ethics you will have to live in fear of retribution or karma, and you will never have peace of mind, always fidgeting and jumping at shadows. Calmness and peace of mind are concepts which can have no price set upon them, their worth not defined in money or gold or promotions, but instead on the feeling of completeness and tranquillity that they offer you in this rapidly moving river of a thousand emotions that is life.
As Albus Dumbledore says in the Harry Potter series,
‘“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”
When that time comes, make sure you choose wisely.
