The common notion is that you can’t be very successful and ethical at the same time. However, I believe that it may be possible, as in you don’t have to screw anyone over in order to get ahead.
Let’s take stealing for example, let’s say you steal when you are hungry, after a while you might say I only steal when I’m hungry and mayhaps there was a noble cause for you stealing, however let’s say you keep stealing in long-term. The chances of you getting caught as you steal are non-zero, and when you do get caught you will have a bad reputation, and it might even make you commit more crimes. Okay well what if I just steal in the short term? nice try buddy, the thing is it always starts off as stealing in the short term, the thing is you don’t know if your going to be a criminal, but if never you never steal you won’t find out. The first time I stole something I got caught in grade 6. I never stole again.
However, on the flip side, let’s say you want to steal, and for a second you think there is no other choice but for me to steal right now, but that is only a short term solution, furthermore the unethical actions are usually the easiest actions, that is not a mere coincidence. If you are hungry, there are many solutions to it, infact many problems have multiple solutions. Many religious institutions give out free food, maybe you could ask a friend for food, go to a restaurant and say you’ll for for free for a meal. Notice how these are all “harder” than stealing, as in a shot to the ego.
What I’m trying to say is, doing something that you know to be unethical is probably the easiest and most short-term solution. However on the other side is the harder and more long-term solution.
Even though I’ve laid it out so simply, I’ve taken the short term solution so many times, even when I’m the guy that’s writing this blog. However all we can do is try to be ethical.
There is an argument that being ethical is the reward by itself, however these are the rational reasons I see to being ethical as well. [Plato’s republic, and Nicomachean ethics]
Shoutout Cody, and Manav for inspiring me. I owe this post to our conversations.