I was cruising down the highway, heading to work, minding my own business, listening to music when suddenly a police car with sirens blaring and lights flashing appeared behind me. I assumed they wanted to pass, so I pulled to the inner lane. They stayed on my tail and the driver signaled for me to stop. “What could they possibly want?” I thought. I pulled onto the shoulder, turned down my music and rolled down my glass.
One of the officers approached, “Good morning sir, you were driving above the speed limit.”
“OK”, I said.
“Driver’s permit and insurance please.” I passed him the documents. He seemed relieved and slightly surprised that I had accepted my fate so calmly.
After writing up the ticket, he handed me my documents and the ticket. “Have a good morning sir.”
“Thank you. You too.” He looked even more surprised and smiled. I pulled off and took care to stay below the limit for the remainder of my journey to the office.
Later that day I examined the ticket. The price of my infraction was TT$1000. It was enough to cause some internal pain as I thought about the status of my bank account. Then I realized that the officer had spelled my name wrong…. and just like that a moral dilemma was berthed.
Legitimately, I did not need to pay this ticket because the person charged was not me. Sad to say, I grappled with this temptation for a few days well. I had committed the crime, but I could escape the penalty due to a technicality. I even wondered if the officer’s error was God’s providence. My conscience, however, would not allow me to justify my considered course of action with the God card. What should I do?
Eventually, I paid the ticket and walked away from my test with a feeling of victory and renewed awareness of my vulnerability. In the end I was bound by a law higher than the law of the land; a moral code that knew wrong was wrong no matter the legal loopholes that were available.
Everyday, all of us walk this path. It may manifest itself in different circumstances, but the test is the same. When these moral decisions confront us, the choice is always the same; to do what is right or to do what we can get away with.
It seems to me that there is a growing movement to push the moral line away from what is right to what is legal. Less and less the question asked is, ‘What is the right thing to do in this situation?’ and more often the question is, ‘What are our contractual or legal obligations?’ or, ‘What is the company policy?’ In fact, it amazes me how easily even the standard of legality gets thrown aside if common practice dictates otherwise. It disturbs me how wealth and social status have become accepted reasons to live unaccountable to the law. I remember an incident publicized on social media where a well-connected woman was caught driving without a driver’s permit or insurance for her luxury vehicle and seemed more incensed that the police pulled her aside than contrite for her lawlessness. Just last month I heard someone admit quite casually that they had paid to get their driver’s permit after failing the exam.
Where are we heading? Do we really want to live in a society where everyone does whatever they can get away with?
Why are we ok to not pay workers/contractors on time for work they have done, or to use every advantage we have in business deals to ensure we gain as much as we can at the expense of the other party, or to use our contacts and wealth to live outside of the law?
We are losing our moral moorings. But how do we get them back? Do we even want to? I certainly don’t have all the answers but I’m willing to ask the questions. I’m willing to challenge myself and the people in my sphere. I’m willing to push back in the board room and in the dining room. I’m willing to engage and grapple and fight for the type of society that I want my children and grandchildren to inherit. A society where we do onto others as we want done unto us. A society where we protect the weak not take advantage of them. A society where we promote the common good over our personal gain. What would happen if we devoted less of our energy toward trying to ensure that OUR children are advantaged, wealthy and favoured and more of our energy to ensuring that EVERYONE can thrive?
That’s what I’m fighting for… who’s with me?
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.