I was recently a funny motivational speaker for a group of school administrators.
At the event, I heard about a group of school kids skimming lunch money set aside for kids who couldn’t afford lunch. The deceitful behavior went on for over a year, while groups of kids found out about it and joined in.
One of many examples of groups of people stepping outside of their moral compass to do unspeakable things. I find myself wondering, How could they do that?
Something that seems to allow people to step aside their ethics is the notion that others do shady things and get away with it. Some might even argue they are entitled to their fair share and fear they may be missing out.
This fend for yourself, fear-driven mindset gives someone a pass to temporarily boost their circumstances. The trouble is, once you’ve done it once, and got away with it; it begs to be repeated. Lousy behavior builds up momentum, like a boulder rolling down a hill, and perhaps someone starts to believe it’s okay. Alternately, they may think they're naturally bad people and decide to continue that fate.
The longer you sweep bad behavior under the carpet, the more likely it is to continue.
Now it takes a healthy, courageous person to blow the whistle and bring the injustice to the surface. People will resist, fight back and even retaliate. For many people, it’s just easier to turn a blind eye.
The more we expose bad behavior, the more likely we are to stop it in its tracks. Our morale compass expands when we educate others to do the right thing.
Also, doing what's right, should is a given. Thus, we shouldn't be rewarding groups of people for doing the right thing. Instead, just encouraging it
What are your thoughts?
