June 3rd 2025
Business in a world of uncertainty is nerve racking. One day there are Tarriff’s the next day they are illegal. We hear so much corruption happening at the highest levels of government and then see a local request for proposals that nobody can bid without some additional knowledge, giving the sense that the RFP is a formality and those with inside information have edge. How does one get that inside information?
Societies need to have rules written and unwritten that we navigate through. When these rules get broken or violated one must look at their own values and understand whether the breaking of those rules align with their own values, a moral dilemma. While this has always been the case, when everyone else is doing it, the temptation is greater, and one is tested further.
Weak leadership at the top leads to uncertainty which makes every decision much more difficult. When the leadership will sell to the highest bidder and disregard any norms and be a wrecking ball to those norms, a new normal can be had, and that new now normal is less about morals.
The scientific method works, it is just slow. Can the same be said of moral values, that overtime the right thing is just the right thing? If we look, we find humans that have been dealing with this for centuries and the moral compass has been a problem. From the bible, Socrates, Seneca, Marcus Aurlies, Epicetus, the Buddha and others all have writings discussing what is the correct moral compass one must follow. Humanity has been wrestling with this for centuries and is just an inherent in being human.
This is no excuse, and a modern society that doesn’t keep this in check is a society that will break down into corruption and back-room deals will be had to the highest bidder. This must not be accepted, and society needs to shame those that engage in this process.
Capitalism cannot survive when the best is those that can bribe the most. The best ideas and the best methods will be sidelined by those that have the deepest pockets and ultimately humanity will suffer. Long term the country that allows this to happen will be weaker as the intelligent people who are motivated will move to areas where their ideas can flourish and they can prosper. America used to be such a place but we are seeing corruption that must not be accepted.