I've been interested in ethics ever since I took a graduate course many years go. The take away for me then was that there is a difference between ethical and legal. I also enjoy reading The Ethicist in the Sunday Times Magazine. As a school administrator I sometimes got involved with interpreting and enforcing our town's code of ethics. Over time I became more and more convinced that most people really want to do the right thing, but sometimes they need a little help understanding the finer points of ethical behavior. Then there's the issue of perception vs. reality. So when I learned our local Ethics Board did not seem to be doing the work they were appointed to do, I offered my services. Time went by and nothing happened until two current members of the Board were proposed for reappointment. OK, I said to myself, it doesn't matter if I'm on the Board but is it a good idea to have people who haven't been doing their jobs continue? So I wrote a
letter to the editor expressing my consternation. Several weeks passed and I learned that my letter had apparently disqualified me from further consideration. "No problem," I said to the terrific elected official in his mid 30's, who conveyed what he described as "bad news." I told him not to worry, this was not about me! I felt I had done my civic duty by offering to serve and by highlighting what I viewed as the current board's shortcomings. He listened thoughtfully and apologized. I again stated, this was not about me. He repeated that he felt badly about being the bearer of bad news. After we ended our conversation I started wondering if I used to think the end game was about me rather than the well-being of our community. Sometimes getting older feels good.
