The 2016 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Bob Dylan, is one of my favourite song writers and singers. In 1964 he released the album The Times They Are a-Changin. After all these years the beautiful title song of this album is still considered by many, yours truly included, as an anthem of change. Which reminds me of an epigram attributed to that ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “No man ever steps in the same river twice.” And in the dynamic realm of ethics, great expectations are now being elicited.
Around the globe many are concerned, others even angered, by the ever-increasing lack of ethical sensitivity and total disregard to integrity by some people in power and by certain corporations and organisations. Unfortunately, we also often hear that so long as it’s legal then it’s good enough. Such an argument has become a callous cliché. On the other hand, luckily, we are witnessing an ever-decreasing tolerance for unethical behaviour in all spheres of life. Notwithstanding the real complexity of diverse ethical theories, ethics awareness is on the rise. The bar for those who hold any form of power has been raised. Not only because of ethics, but also due to the immediacy of the world wide web and the sterling work of investigative journalists and genuine whistleblowers.
Ethics is not just another buzzword. Especially after the havoc of the 2008 financial crisis, citizens from all nations are yearning for righteousness. Unethical behaviour was one of the main causes of a quasi-economic and financial meltdown. In some countries, the consequential ever-widening inequality gap has already proven to be a toxic ingredient in a disastrous recipe for social unrest.
Notwithstanding the real complexity of diverse ethical theories, ethics awareness is on the rise. The bar for those who hold any form of power has been raised
No wonder that on September 16, 2016, John Authers of the Financial Times articulated that, eight years after Lehman’s collapse “anger is intense as ever” and that “we are still stunned, and groping for the truth”. Because as Dylan sang: “… the wheel’s still in spin.”
I admit that it is much easier to reflect and to explore the importance of ethics in our lives than to endlessly strive to address and redress unethical behaviour.
But despite our own fragilities, ordinary citizens like you and me, rather than disengage, may and can, make a difference. We can all strive to be just, honest and humane towards others. We need to support those who walk the talk and lead by example, respect others and encourage initiative. Because in today’s fragmented and uncertain world, being static and ignoring ethics, is no longer an option.
Dylan again: “For he that gets hurt, will be he who has stalled.” Integrity and trust are interdependent. Just like our heart and respiratory system. If one fails, the other would probably follow. Luckily, likewise, ethics and trust may improve by acting cautiously and by regular rituals.
In a world totally engulfed by declining trust, be it in business, sports, media or politics, restoring trust is increasingly becoming one of the prime requisites of our era. eBay founder Pierre Omidyar has emphatically spoken and acted about this prevailing disillusionment. Unfortunately we only acknowledge how important trust is when it starts to evaporate, thereby threatening the core and the stability of social relationships.
Ethics, as a means to counterbalance deception, disloyalty and disorder, is an organisational matter as much as it is a personal one. Only by nurturing an ethical culture, with a focus on integrity, can organizations and institutions earn our trust.
A ray of hope shines from Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si: “Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”
The author holds a Master of Arts in Business Ethics.