Wisdom in a time of crisis.

When some leaders start to display dictatorial tendencies, human nature being what it is, it is worthwhile looking at what history has to say. Always it is best to take the long view – a timely distance allows one to make sense of what happened and why. 

Even so, relating to current world leadership, inferences may be drawn from the sayings of some historical figures:-

“Those whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad.”

No one is quite sure who originated this saying - attributed, possibly to Euripides, but it doesn’t really matter. It is the intent. I believe is quite appropriate today.  By “mad” I don’t think that insanity is implied, rather I believe that what is alluded to is a loss of  “measure” – a term that is no longer fashionable - meaning a loss of proportion; giving to much emphasis on personal gain and aggrandizement and thus ignoring the plight of others.     

Then there is this famous injunction leveled at the English “Rump Parliament” on 20^th April 1653, when Oliver Cromwell harangued the members of that parliament:-

“You have sat here too long for any good that you have been doing lately. Depart I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!” 

Also quite apposite today I believe is this saying, attributed to Edmund Burke, the Eighteenth Century Irish author and Statesman:-

 “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”

It saddens me to think that some of todays world leaders have so lost their moral and ethical compasses that they think only of themselves.

Then many people have idols; things they value above all others, even, unfortunately more than they value themselves – their self-worth, their honour or their reputation. As has been said before, poets have the ability to say in a few words what it takes others many words to express. 

There is a very appropriate verse in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Omar was an 11^th Century Persian mathematician, astronomer and poet) - which goes as follows (verse 69): 

                                           Indeed the Idols I have loved so long

                                           Have done my Credit in Men’s Eyes much wrong:

                                              Have drown’d my Honour in a shallow cup,

                                          And sold my Reputation for a Song 

In this context it may also be useful to recall the words of an old nursery rhyme – a cautionary tale stressing the importance of doing things properly. By doing things properly, doing them well, unintended consequences are minimised. This is a tale of the “Horse-shoe Nail”:-

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the Kingdom was lost,

And all for the want of a horse-shoe nail!

The nail represents the “glue” that binds us together as humans. The main component of this “glue” is trust. This is what holds us together as a society – trust. Trust that those we deal with believe in ethics, morality, virtues and hold to their values and will do what they promise; trust that people are honest and will treat others in the way they would like to be treated. When it comes to organisations – be they Governments, financial organisation, multinational news conglomerates, political parties, police departments or families there is a need to understand, today as never before, what it means to provide a duty of care and its corollary – a fiduciary duty. Anything else will lead to chaos, as has been displayed for all to see over the last few years.

This leads back to the title of this post – wisdom in a time of crisis. When good men do nothing; when leaders love their idols more than their fellow beings; when leaders love their idols (whatever they are) more than they respect the need for honesty and morality, we are in real trouble. The horseshoe was lost years ago and we have already lost the horse; if we now lose the battle as well, the kingdom and all of us will be in grave danger. 

And it’s leaders will have drowned their honour in a shallow cup and sold their reputations for a song.

Why Whistleblowers are so necessary

In todays “mad” world it is vital for honesty, integrity and moral behaviour to be paramount. But is it?

One wonders at the conditions that apply which impel someone to expose corrupt, illicit, negligent, abusive or exploitative behaviour. This could be government or corporate policies or an individual’s activities. And one wonders at the response to such exposure which is always initially denial and ultimately a very severe and harsh form of retribution against the person who ‘blew the whistle’ which led to the exposure.

The thing is that no one likes to be presented with an image of themselves which differs from their own, internal, picture of whom or what they think they are – everyone likes to think of themselves as a ‘good person’. If and when someone is caught out and exposed by a whistle-blower they see themselves reflected, as it were, in a mirror, in their ‘true colours’ and they are shocked and enter a state of denial. How many times have those so exposed said the words “I have done nothing wrong”? They will fight tooth and nail to preserve their image of themselves and to avoid appearing diminished in their own eyes or in the eyes of others. They fight to maintain a level of trust because everyone, particularly in business or government, must be seen as trustworthy - if anyone is untrustworthy it is always someone else or another government or another business – it is always the ‘other’. Admitting responsibility for illegal activities is always difficult and not many have the strength of character to admit to such activity.  At its core then, this is an issue relating to morality, to values and to ethics because no one is trustworthy who is not also ethical. 

The French mathematician and humanist, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) in his ‘Pensees’ wrote, “There is no greater unhappiness than when a person starts to fear the truth lest it denounce him.” 

There is great insight in these words and this is the basis of the reason why whistle-blowing is so dangerous to the ‘blower’ and so necessary for the guilty party so as to relieve them of their unhappiness. It is necessary for the perpetrator to be exposed because their actions, if undetected, have a toxic effect which manifests itself by not only creating stress but also by alienating them from their community. It is as if something secret and unseen has to now be viewed. Any such exposure has a cathartic effect by lifting a burden and ‘cleansing’ them of their guilt. The alternative is fear and fear begets anger and hatred and those who are fearful and consumed by hate lose their powers of reason and in such a state seldom exercise sound judgement. A person’s ability to determine ‘right’ from ‘wrong’ is suspended and everything and anything appears to be acceptable, which defers the moment of exposure. 

Any activities that are exploitative, corrupt, illicit, negligent or abusive give rise to feelings of guilt and create a profound unease of conscience. Peace of mind will be the first casualty in such situations and any person caught up in these activities is unlikely to sleep easily at night! What many forget in today’s unedifying stampede for money and positions of influence is that men (as in mankind) have done these things and that we are all of mankind, furthermore we all share in the multi-various proclivities of mankind. Even if, from a purely legal stand point, any one individual may not be an accessory to any questionable activities or behaviour, thanks to our human nature and the consciousness that binds us all to each other, we are all guilty – we are all of mankind. We are all diminished by such unwarranted behaviour. 

This is why whistle-blowers are so important.  A whistle-blower’s courage, clarity of mind and singleness of purpose brings us lesser mortals up short and the proverbial ‘scales’ fall from our eyes. We are then able to see the extent and the ramifications of the questionable activity or behaviour that has been going on around us. 

Every activity is a cause for some effect. And every effect impinges on everyone in some way or another. Remember the ‘six degrees of separation’? Knowing six people is said (mathematically) to give us a link through someone to everyone in the world. This link is why, when an uplifting or inspirational event is reported in the media it has an immediate global impact and we all feel the effect. Likewise when some ghastly tragedy is reported we all feel appalled and cast down. This is the principal reason why we must treat all people in an ethical way because we are all interconnected – it is in our genes. To do anything else is to invite chaos and great unhappiness.

It was the British philosopher and statesman, Edmund Burke (1729-1797) who made the much quoted statement that - 

“All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”  

The following short tale has, over the centuries, warned those who may wish to harm, exploit or abuse others or to engage in corrupt activities of the likely outcome of their activities: 

Aesop’s fable (CLXIX)

The vine and the goat

“There was once a vine teeming with ripe fruit and tender shoots and looking forward to the day when it would provide a bountiful vintage. Suddenly a wanton goat appeared and gnawed its bark and nibbled its young leaves.

            ‘You have no right to harm me like this’, said the vine. ‘But I won’t have to wait long for my just revenge. Even if you crop my leaves and cut me down to my root, I shall provide the wine to pour over you when you are brought as a sacrifice to the altar.’”

            *Though it may be late, retribution arrives in the end*

American Government (in)justice

I have written about this before – many times – but I repeat again that injustice is the root of most of the problems in the world today. When governments, of whatever persuasion, start hiding their activities from their own people then you know that there is a problem and this arouses my sense of outrage. Injustice and unethical behaviour are inexcusable.   

While (generally) I hold America and Americans in high regard I am particularly targeting their Government’s “holier than thou” attitude and a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to some policies which I find offensive and unworthy of the American people.

I know that politics is a dirty game but denying illegal or unethical activities and behaviour is taking things too far. In this regard the American Government has lost its “moral high ground” with the treatment of those in the Guantanamo Bay detention centre (Gitmo), by the vitriol directed at Julian Assange (Wikileaks founder), Bradley Manning (American soldier who is alleged to have supplied Wikileaks with information) and whistle blowers generally. Other countries (including Australia) are guilty of similar offences.

It is necessary to examine the issues impartially because this is very important.

If a government, American, or that of any country conceals information from its population how can voters make an informed judgement on the effectiveness or otherwise of that government? Especially, as mentioned above, if the information so concealed may be of such an unethical or illegal nature that any disclosure would diminish the government’s standing in the eyes of the voting public and cause the officials concerned much discomfort!

This is where whistle blowers such as Bradley Manning and Julian Assange are, as far as I am concerned, performing a valuable service – not just to the American public but for mankind generally. It is necessary, for any individual’s or government’s well-being to be shown up for what they are, prone to unethical activities, lying and plain criminal behaviour (unfortunately all of us are at times guilty of these).  Unless governments and individuals acknowledge their weaknesses how can they correct their errors and aspire to reach their full potential? How else can the voting public be given enough information to know if they want or need a change of government other than by the information provided by whistle-blowers? Without this information the voting public is in danger of being manipulated, against their wishes.

Whistle blowers need to be commended for their actions, not condemned.

The American Government, in particular, has forgotten or chosen to ignore the fact that their Declaration of Independence includes the basic tenet that people have certain rights, and when a government violates these rights, the people have the right to "alter or abolish" that government ...!  

Also remember that America is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (as is Australia). This states in the preamble that, “All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms.”  It goes on to declare in:

Articles 6:

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article10:

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

 Article 19:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

It would appear that the Americans by holding inmates indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay detention centre and by their treatment of whistle-blowers generally, are violating many of the most fundamental human rights and I ask the question “Why?” I also ask the Australian Government a similar question – why hold individuals (“illegal boat people”) in indefinite detention without judicial review or recourse to the courts? Such actions promote injustice and are plain wrong and will be subject to unintended consequences.

I strongly suspect that this abrogation of  basic Human Rights stems from the fact that officials are discomforted by the disclosures which, in turn, generates a desire to punish whistle blowers for showing to the world that Americans (or Australians) are not as ethical, as just or morally correct as they would like to be known for.  Their declared abhorrence, almost a hatred of whistle blowers is testament to this.

Those who fail or refuse to do good in the face of evil are sowing some dangerous seeds. It worth recalling the famous quote by the British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke (1729-1797):

“All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”

Why whistleblowers are so important

To my way of thinking whistleblowers need to be encouraged. If someone is guilty of corrupt, illicit, negligent, abusive or exploitative activities they need to be brought to account for their actions. If a person is not brought to account then they will forever be looking over their shoulder wondering when they will be found out and when the axe will fall. They will carry a burden of guilt which will weigh heavily upon them, leading to increasing stress and isolation from their fellow beings. No one who exploits others in any way feels comfortable and at ease in the company of those they have hurt or negatively affected – this is a natural consequence of guilt. As the French mathematician and humanist, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) wrote in his ‘Pensees’, “There is no greater unhappiness than when a person starts to fear the truth lest it denounce him.”

This is the reason why whistleblowers often fear for their lives. They have ‘exposed’ someone’s deepest secrets that they never expected would see the light of day – secrets that are dark and were hidden. Such exposure presents the perpetrator with an image of themselves which differs from their own, internal, picture of whom or what they think they are – everyone likes to think of themselves as a ‘good person’. When someone is caught out and exposed by a whistleblower they are forced to see themselves, as it were, in their ‘true colours’ and they are shocked and enter a state of denial and their inevitable initial response is “I have done nothing wrong”.

They will fight tooth and nail to preserve their image of themselves and to avoid appearing diminished in their own eyes or in the eyes of others. They try to pass the blame to others or to accuse the whistleblower of being untrustworthy and of lying. They fight to maintain a level of trust because everyone, particularly in business or government, must be seen as trustworthy. All worthwhile relationships are built on trust. If a person knows (deep down and because of their actions) that they are not trust worthy, they will not trust others either. Not to trust anyone is to have no meaningful relationships, which in turn isolates them from others. It must never be forgotten, however, that Man, as in Mankind, is a highly social being and is unable to live successfully or for long without some social contact, which is why the most severe punishment that can be imposed on anyone is solitary confinement (think of the self-imposed isolation by the North Korean government and the effect this has had on the unfortunate people of that impoverished country or the Chinese government’s persecution of dissidents and members of the Falun Gong).

To expose a person’s (or a government’s or businesses’) corrupt, illegal or exploitative activities is necessary, not only for society but also for those individuals engaged in such activities. It is as if something secret and unseen has now seen the light of day, which has a cathartic effect by lifting a burden and ‘cleansing’ a person (or organisation) of their guilt. The alternative is fear, and fear begets anger and hatred, and those who are fearful and consumed by hate lose their powers of reason and in such a state seldom exercise sound judgement. A person’s ability to determine ‘right’ from ‘wrong’ is suspended and everything and anything is considered acceptable, which defers the moment of exposure. Again think of North Korea; also BP and their problems in the Gulf; the Chinese government and dispossessed landowners; the Catholic Church and their paedophile priests; the Australian regulatory authorities and highly toxic pesticides banned elsewhere but still used in Australia and so the list goes on. Consider also the many other less than charitable activities exposed by that very useful website at http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks.

What cannot be forgotten in today’s unedifying stampede for money and positions of influence is that men (as in mankind) have done these things and that we are all of mankind, furthermore we all share in the multi-various proclivities of mankind. Even if, from a purely legal stand point, any one individual may not be an accessory to any particular questionable activity or behaviour, because of our human nature and the consciousness that binds us all to each other, we are all guilty – we are all of mankind. We are all diminished by such unwarranted behaviour. This is why whistleblowers are so important.

“All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke (British Statesman and Philosopher, 1729-1797)