Whatever happened to the honest man?
The ability to take responsibility for one's actions appears to have fallen by the wayside in recent times. In a day and age where information is so readily available, it seems that honesty has fallen behind - far behind. Harry Truman was famed for having a sign saying, "The Buck Stops Here." The new mantra appears to be a "The Shawshank Redemption" quotation which starts with "Didn't do it!" and ends with a phrase not going in this column for fear of FCC fines.
Over the summer, Martha Stewart was convicted of perjury. SGA vice president Olufunmbi Elemo was forced to resign recently due to discrepancies involving a police citation. CBS is trying in vain to duck a massive fine for the Super Bowl's "Big Reveal" segment. Sandy Berger is clueless as to how he got caught with sensitive documents in his pants leaving the National Archives.
Politicians aren't trusted because they won't own up to anything. Even the dog looks at you funny now when you confront him with a desecrated shoe. It's as if the people of the world have adopted the Jedi mind trick: Wave your hand, say it never happened, and all is as one desires. It's enough to make one cynical about anything anyone ever says.
Perhaps the Olympics provide the fitting discussion backdrop. Several Olympic athletes have no clue how performance-enhancing drugs ended up in their systems. "Didn't do it!" Ironically, it was in ancient Greece that the philosopher Diogenes spent his daytime hours searching with a lantern for an honest man. If alive, he might still be at it today.
Diogenes was the leader of a philosophical group called the Cynics. Cynics were known for living according to nature and unconventionally, but the thing they valued the most was virtue. All other things were chasing the wind; only virtue mattered. Everything else was secondary.
Today, it almost seems as if the desire to be seen as flawless has supplanted the virtue of being human. Maybe it's the dread of having to face consequences for the screw-ups and errors or lack of fortitude to embrace that responsibility. However, the true irony is that fighting the consequences leads to a greater fall.
Consider the examples above. Martha Stewart could have dodged jail if she admitted to insider trading, but she lied to investigators, which earned her the conviction and jail time. Elemo had to resign not because she got a citation but most likely because her story's discrepancies created a situation where confidence in her plummeted. Berger is in the same boat as Stewart and faces prosecution, ironically from the same attorney who got Stewart.
What would be refreshing would be to see someone admit their errors right after they happen and not when someone's crow-barred them into the corner with no way around it. The irony is while it always stings to admit one's faults, the people around you are willing to show forgiveness and you salvage credibility and dignity. The hardheaded ones always suffer the biggest fall because they destroy whatever credibility they had.
Diogenes apparently searched in vain for an honest man in his time. It would be refreshing to not have to do so in this day and age.
Write to Jeff at mannedarena@yahoo.com
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
