In over 40 years, I’ve received very few requests to perform
acts associated with my profession that “didn’t meet the smell test.” None
reached the level of high crimes or unconstitutional acts, but I declined each.
Thank goodness, I declined each.
One induced me to leave a high-paying job and drift at the
periphery of my profession for a while. I returned with my reputation intact
and never looked back. I started my own firm where I could set the standards of conduct.
With another, I left a good contractual situation in an act
of solidarity with a falsely maligned colleague. They hadn’t come for me at the
time, but I knew they would. I could have enjoyed the making of money in the
interim, but what price shall we place upon our reputation and self-respect?
The lessons of life
are apparent, there is the (modified) warning of “First they came for people of
color, but I wasn’t a person of color … .” I also remember the advice of a
friend, and attorney, “First they ask to just to do something that doesn’t
smell right, but it’s not illegal. Then ….”
Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm far from perfect. My faults are legion. I think, though, we can make it as an individual, or as a nation, as long as the center holds.
In short, honor, duty, and allegiance to the United States
Constitution are heavy burdens to carry through life, but worth every effort.
Avoiding that effort will surely help pry open the door to the abyss.
No comments:
Post a Comment