From my earliest childhood recollections in a small North Carolina coastal town, I remember the lessons taught to me by my father, a policeman, and my mother, a nurse: be a good kid, do what your elders tell you to do, stay out of trouble, be nice to your sister, and eat your vegetables. As I grew, I attended church and Sunday school, where I received additional guidance that I have used throughout my life. At that time, The Ten Commandments were a lot for a small child to comprehend, but the Golden Rule just made so much sense:
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Later, I joined the Boy Scouts. Some troublesome news has come out lately about the Boy Scouts, but for many of us young boys in the 1960s and early ‘70s, being a Scout was one the most awesome experiences a kid could have. Never had I camped out before, paddled a canoe, cooked over a fire, or had the opportunity to learn the outdoor skills and knowledge I now cherish. The Scouts also have their life guidance in the Scout Oath and Scout Laws. I branded them into my mind when I was 11 and to this very day, I still remember it all:
Scouting was a rewarding experience, and following the Oath and Law has molded me and many of my closest friends into the men we are today.
Later, I went off to college to become an engineer. There, I learned that professional engineers have their own creed on how to conduct their professional lives and to practice ethical conduct upon entering the real world. Throughout the years of formal instruction and decades of career development, the Engineer’s Creed and Code of Ethics has guided my professional and personal life.
The world we live in is not the one I was born into. Times have changed so much and what society allows is much different today than back then. When I was a younger man, your name, your reputation, and your word meant something. Being a Junior, I also carried my dad’s good name, so that also mattered in a small town. Doing what’s right was always the best thing to do.
Today, it seems that all those great attributes and ideals that I strived to attain for all these years are not as important to some folks as the monetary gain one might acquire at the expense of others. Just because something is not illegal does not mean that it is not unethical or immoral or go against public welfare. How you conduct your life and your career are how you’ll be judged in the end. Your Moral Compass. How you want that story to be written is totally up to you and the decisions you make in your career and all other aspects of your life.
Where’s your moral compass pointed?