Undeniably, mankind has progressed in many unprecedented ways. However, the fact remains that many problems still exist. In fact, those related to moral values seem to be on the increase. To me, all this is caused on the missing factor in the world today. Factor 'I' is integrity. While the world was burdened by the acquired immunity deficiency syndrome in the past, Malaysians are suffering the effects of acquired INTEGRITY deficiency syndrome as seen in those who ought to have that "I" factor!
This disease is rife in modern society where the producer's satisfaction takes precedence over customer satisfaction. Policies are deliberately implemented to deny consumers their rights and defraud them of their cash. You are enticed with pretty promises but when you need the service you were promised you come to the ugly realisation that it was all lies, they just wanted your money.
It is rife in our employment field where too many employees see if they can get out of work or to see what they can get out of work. They willingly enter into an agreement with their employer and then once employed, demand improved conditions of employment without offering improved levels of service. Sadly, there are many employers who offer below subsistence wages yet expect above average performance - much like the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Needless to say, it is rife in the political arena of many countries, even a little closer home.
What are the symptoms? You know someone or some organization has this ailment when you see what they can get away with the most bizarre acts/statements. What happens is that the more that those unscrupulous ones can get away with it, the less they see the need to actually do what they perceive as the right thing. Eventually, this happens so often that it becomes their nature to do the wrong thing whole actually believing that the wrong thing is actually the right thing. Even the crap that they tell the public sounds true in their ears!!!In other words, there is a complete absence of HONEST INTENT.
Many areas seem to demonstrate a lack of integrity. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines integrity as the ability to have a “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as “honesty, incorruptibility.”
Recent events have truly shown up the deficiency of integrity. Are leaders consistent in their actions? Can we trust them? Can we believe in what they are saying? Can we stomach their absurdities any more? Frankly, I am so fed up and during such times, I lose my voice in my writing - which explains why I have not been blogging for the past two weeks or so.
Can there ever be a new breed of leaders who dare to rise above moral and ethical standards and adhere to religious and moral principles in the things they do and say? When an organization chooses a leader that does not demonstrate such ideals and cowers in fear of others, it is the beginning of the death of that organization. When an organization follows a leader that looks at others through race-tinted glasses and other leaders DO NOT chastise him, then we know something is seriously wrong.
We HAVE to make a difference in small but meaningful ways to raise awareness about all this crap that we see. Ranting alone is not enough. Most sincerely, I confess I am at my wits' ends trying to figure out how we can escape from this malaise.
Naturally, we must continue to uphold moral and ethical standards not forgetting religious and moral principles. Our challenge is to teach our children and the youth of today and tell them where some went wrong and to ensure they do not follow the wrong examples and to ensure that they do not look up to the wrong models of behavior. The world is full of deceit and immorality and public outcry MUST rise above all the deceit, deception, foul play and compromise of ethics, values and norms.
We MUST speak up when the situation warrants it and demand for the truth and nothing but the truth!!!! We must speak up loudly when things are not and keep silent no more. But what happens when elected leaders keep silence in the line of duty?
May there be leaders who are wise and strong enough to unravel and to expose the truth. If not, our nation will be gnawed slowly but surely by this acquired integrity deficiency syndrome where the truth will then be buried somewhere out there in mysteries that even Mulder and Scully cannot solve!
Please leave a comment if you wish to share your thoughts and views. Thanks. Have a lovely week ahead.
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There is something wrong with the comment system in my blog as it cannot take links. I do not know what happened. Thanks to Antares who alerted me. Here's his comment sent via email. If you have problems in commenting, kindly send it to
mwsmithunplugged@gmail.com
It's timely to take another look at Buckminster Fuller's 1973 poem HERE. Problem is, ruling elites tend to marry amongst themselves to keep the wealth within the family - and so, after hundreds of generations, they become vulnerable to regressive genes and instead of evolving, their bloodlines begin to devolve. Much as we detest violence and abhor the use of brute force, in most cases conditions have become so critical we may be forced to follow our young ones out into the streets. No police force can subdue a crowd that outnumbers it 1,000 to 1.
Antares
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6 comments to The "I" Factor
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Unknown It's timely to take another look at Buckminster Fuller's 1973 poem. Problem is, ruling elites tend to marry amongst themselves to keep the wealth within the family - and so, after hundreds of generations, they become vulnerable to regressive genes and instead of evolving, their bloodlines begin to devolve. Much as we detest violence and abhor the use of brute force, in most cases conditions have become so critical we may be forced to follow our young ones out into the streets. No police force can subdue a crowd that outnumbers it 1,000 to 1.
Antares
~^@^~
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walla Those who can must get the word out to focus on real targets.
First, the situation.
One, the latest budget was to bribe the fixed deposit voting cohorts. Civil servants, teachers, militia and farmers; the amount for pensioners, due only in 2013, is paltry.
In addition, no action has been taken on Taib so as not to lose Sarawak. With Sabah in tow under Umno and its fast-tracked citizenship program for illegals, six fixed deposits are now primed for Barisan to retain its government, abetted by Umno-friendly royalty, judiciary, enforcement, mainstream media and election commission constructs. The last card is of course to cheat at the polls.
Two, where finance and education are concerned, the present government plays to only one gallery - the Malays, and with only one goal - to win the next general elections.
Money is spent minor for their targets, major for themselves - because Umno has become the official engine for whitewashing cronyism, with the result the bills including financing charges based on increasing debt servicing will be for the account of the still-dreamy young of the future.
And education is based on denialism which will result in irrelevance and loss of competitiveness. After fifty four years and billions, it is still a delivery issue. And their way of solving it is to entrench the challenges even further. Because the teachers can't, education will become less about imparting real and relevant knowledge, more about imparting grades made to look good by lowering standards, with the specter that one day overseas admitting institutions will deny entry because they will have avalanches of richer students from other countries, furthermore with better international results and stronger command of the medium of instruction - there.
Three, the demographics have changed. Once the Chinese were over thirty percent of the population; today in the twenties. The slide will continue because the birthrate has dropped since more will be too busy working harder to try and maintain livelihood while dispirited of future prospects in the face of increasing costs but crumbs in state support. How the latest budget has been distributed says it all. Ask the MD of SPSetia what he now thinks of the NEP rearing its real head, and for effects what is the size of Umno's political puissance over PNB's RM124 Billion in funds as well as Petronas and EPF monies?
Four, the US and European markets for our local products are going to be sundered on the shores of fiscal calamity. The rates at which they can service their debts will never catch up with the rates at which the interests on those debts are compounding. Ergo, even if they work flat out and unless a global trade miracle happens, they will be paying just the interests due without reducing the principal debt. In the next two years, another recession may spurt which will run contrary to the wild projections of revenue paraded in the latest budget of easy dispensations, all happening when one third of national revenues come from oil and gas, depleting commodities, with its attendant effects on the other two-thirds of direct and indirect taxes. Currently our national yolk is rm442 Billion of debts, and real productivity in terms of elastic skills, not population growth numbers, is stagnant. Meanwhile the present government continues to spin, and continues to hire expensive spinners, while living it up like there's no tomorrow. That, they are correct.
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walla 2/2
Second, the real targets. Take five, suck in, and think. The only things we can do - today, now - apart from disseminating walla's final post here - is to make absolutely sure that:
Penang and Selangor be retained by the Opposition
Perak be returned to the Opposition
Sarawak be denied Umno, and
the Opposition be helped to do their best in all the other states.
It may be said that the Opposition of today has kinks. But nothing in life is permanent. Was the GE12 tsunami expected? So there's hope that the Opposition will become better over time. For that they must have grounds to stand. At the least make sure Penang, Perak and Selangor remain theirs. If PAS wants help in the other states, to the extent they don't go dreaming about an islamic state for the country they should be helped.
Meanwhile, prepare your own parachutes for the family. Make sure the young ones get the best world education you can afford. Practise tax avoidance (legal), use the power of less to get by, don't spend on frivolities, talk less do more, be super-efficient with time and resources, make the money do the work but keep wise counsel all the time...and a simple thing - always always be alert. Share with one another best tips and resources. Support one another as much as can be done. Practise and teach integrity always for it is the only calling card that will be accepted anywhere in this complicated and sly world. Teach the young the value of things and the value of values; show them but nicely what sacrifices have been made for them, and how dangerous situations can be; what is easy street today can flip over in an instant. Those who have been taught all this don't seem to want to learn at all. Don't let any mistake happen twice.
And if good financial luck comes, park it where the new residence will be for them. Those places with more open-minded and smarter societies, cleaner and safer environments, more progressive wisdom about life, and more opportunities to be the best.
I should know what i am talking here. Having started posting blog comments since 2003, i have never been wrong once in all that i've written. In the field of complete knowledge, there were eighteen worldwide. Fourteen have passed on. I am number 4.
(;P)
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Starmandala Thanks for posting my comment, Paula. The link for Bucky's poem: http://www.magickriver.org/2008/09/ethics-by-r-buckminster-fuller.html
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Unknown You are most welcome, Antares. I embedded your comment with the link in the post and then also posted it in the comment section without the html code. I think that was the problem. Thanks for swinging by again to share the link. Take care and rest well!
Hugs
Anonymous Paula, you are absolutely right. We need a new breed of leaders who can see beyond race and religion, and who are ethical and morally upright.Leaders should have the Factor 'I' and not the egoist 'I' which makes them too big for their boots. Leaders should always be humble and grateful for it is the people who put them in power.