Integrity
Matters
July 30, 2003
Low
life scam artists prey on trusting people
Question: (E-059)
Dear
Jim:
On
June 14, the following was printed in the San Jose Mercury
News: "The head of a charity that once claimed to
have brought Croatian children to the United States...faces allegations she scammed the Italian family of a
6-year-old with leukemia by making false promises she
would get them medical help at Stanford. The girl eventually
died." What has happened to integrity? How can we
allow innocent children to be victimized by such individuals?
Response:
There
is no integrity when scam artists raise hopes for critically-needed
medical services that will not be delivered. Low-life
crooks will take money from anyone, including financially-strapped
families. Fortunately, such dishonest behavior is still
the exception. But, when it happens to those less able
to cope with these damages, righteous indignation becomes
justifiable anger.
Second,
integrity is alive and evident in your own feelings of
outrage.
Obviously,
human values were nurtured in you by your family during
your formative years and you have maintained a social
consciousness. You care. We all should. Integrity in relationships,
medical care standing at the very top, must never be compromised.
Third,
we must continue to learn intelligent ways to navigate
the complex roads of life. Twenty-four years ago, during
my first months of not very successfully launching a new
business, Dimension Five Consultants, Inc., my father
was listening to me describe a long list of disappointing
meetings with potential clients.
Promises,
promises
One
person after another had made a promise, only to let me
down - not returning calls, failing to meet with me as
promised, and refusing to fulfill promises they had made
to utilize my consulting services. My fear of failure
gave way to dismay. These powerful individuals, in responsible
positions, were behaving badly. How could that be? Then
I offered my question: "But, Dad, you said that cream
rises to the top. And these people are pretty high up
in companies. Why is it that they are not acting like
the top-quality human beings?" Then came the long, fatherly
pause.
"Son,
you have no experience on a farm. You see, when I was
a young man, often I was up early in the morning milking
cows. And, yes, the cream did rise to the top. However,
when we made our way from the cow, milk bucket in hand,
to the separator - and just before we poured off the cream
- we were always careful to scrape away the ring of scum
that rested at the very top of the cream."
Good
advice
Fourth,
my father offered this guidance: "Whether it is separating
cream and milk from the scum or distinguishing top leadership
from the pretenders masquerading as power brokers, it
is always wise to remember that upon first glance, differences
may be difficult to discover. Never assume that money,
power or prestige guarantees either quality or integrity."
Fifth
and finally, we know down deep that to save the lives
of children, we must continue to monitor the reckless
and criminal behaviors of those who make false promises
and destroy lives. Scum, so it seems, will always be there
and we are challenged to remove it before it sours the
cream that is the best of who we are and what we can provide.
