When it comes to ethics how do you determine how far is too far? How close is too close? When have I crossed the line?
We have to answer this question thousands of times everyday, don't we?
When I have a conversation and they ask about someone else's "business."
When my wife asks me if these jeans make her butt look fat.
When I have a chance at my second helping of desert.
When I have the opportunity to own a mistake that wasn't mine, or rat out a fellow employee.
When I count my strokes on the golf course...after all I had to move it there was a stick in the way.
Or...
A little white lie on my taxes.
A little "innocent" flirting with someone else's spouse.
A little extra bragging or "padding" the old resume.
Whatever it is, we have that choice to make everyday and often we make our decision by asking ourselves this question; "How far can I go?" That's a fair question isn't it? After all we can only go so far. But, I think this question, more often then not, leads us to learn from the great teacher "Consequences." "Consequences" is an excellent teacher, but it has a mean after taste and takes a lot longer to learn from than wisdom.
To avoid learning from consequences and learn from "Wisdom," on the front end don't ask; "How far can I go?" Instead ask "Is this the wise thing to do?"
In changing the question you ask yourself you will pull yourself back from the dangerous edge of consequences and find yourself operating and learning from wisdom in every ethical situation I can think of.
May we all learn from the great Teacher "Wisdom" and avoid the pain and hurt that always comes with consequences.
Enjoy Life ...live Wisely!
Jon Bohm
