Lifestyle choices

Today, two lifestyles stand in sharp contrast to each other: one labeled integrity, the other labeled expedience or moral relativism. How are they different?

The president and general manager of a large corporation was informed by his public relations staff that the company was under fire because of defective merchandise. The man had a choice – let one of his subordinates take the rap or else face the music. He called a news conference and said, “We accept full responsibility for what has happened and will do everything in our power to make this right.” That’s integrity.

An executive in a real estate development was offered a substantial sum of money to expedite a project someone wanted approved. The executive happened to attend a board meeting that morning where the project had been approved. He could easily have taken the bribe – there it was in the white envelope on the table – but he informed the individual that he did not take bribes. That’s integrity.

In contrast, moral relativism operates in a different theater. It explains why reporters falsify their stories, why photographers use Photoshop to doctor their images to provide whatever journalistic “spin” they want on their photos, why educators buy fake degrees on the Internet to obtain positions they want, why doctors will falsify the records of patients to get more insurance money, why people will tweak their resumés to make themselves look better than they are, why many feel no obligation to tell the truth when lying serves their purpose, why men make a mockery of their wedding vows and kids cheat, learning the skills from their parents.

Moral relativism emphasizes pleasure over principle, passion over purity, doing over being and winning above fair play and abiding by the rules. No matter what others do, you have a choice – integrity or expediency. Choose wisely. 

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.