Ethics is an Every Day, Every Person Responsibility

We have heard the much-repeated proverbs, "Be honest with yourself. "Honesty is the best policy". And there is the Shakespeare verse, "To thine own self be true". After majoring in Biology at Furman University, I am eternally convinced that there is a component in our DNA that encourages us to favor good above evil, honesty above dishonesty, giving above taking, serving above being served and seeking to make our community better, not worse.

During my first career, I worked for Parke Davis in pharmaceutical sales. I shall never forget the occasion when we sponsored a medical ethics professor to provide a speaker program for local healthcare professionals. He was not from our zip code, but we could relate to him when he spoke. He told my physicians and nurses that they needed a personal mission statement - "HONESTY AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AT ALL COSTS". He made a lasting impression on all of us when he said, "We all live in a glass house". He reminded us that whether or not somebody is looking over our shoulder we should act with integrity and lead our lives as good citizens. It is good to occasionally hear such messages from people we don’t know.

My second career, after retiring from Parke Davis, has been as an after-dinner entertainer/speaker. Our mantra in platform speaking has been and will continue to be: act ethically and honestly. I will confess that I have on occasion embellished a story or told a joke that was not totally true. I suppose that one advantage of being a humorist is the people in the audience expect that much of the material is fictional. It is about entertaining the audience while leaving them with a memorable message or takeaway.

Several years ago we had a terrific speaker at The National Speakers Convention who admonished us to “make sure that what we say is congruent with who we are". I took that advice to heart when I compiled and published my one and only book. I will close by sharing a brief excerpt:

The older I have become, the more I realize that we must be true to ourselves and honest in our dealings. I love this quote by the great, Earl Nightengale. He reminds us, "If we accept the King’s money, we should fight the King's battles." I love this much-quoted proverb, I only wish every American took heed to this underlying warning: "I bargained with life for a penny and life would pay no more." Yes, we are all involved in this life's journey, so, our mission statement should be without apology, "HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY."

Contributed by Bud Moon
professional speaker, humorist, Senior Follies member, author, good citizen and so much more!