Issue 43

even207UID: 2998418

43"To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards."

2011/2/5

Time : 53 min
Words: 644
(第一次在一小时内写完....但是感觉质量会有些下降啊.....)

The speaker states that a leader is judged by his ethical and moral behaviors in public. I disagree with the author mainly because firstly, abstractly speaking, ethical and moral standards are the measurement for the whole human species, not only for a single kind of career; secondly, ethical and moral standards are due to one’s inner world, not act as decorations and clothes, which means not only in public but also without others’ witnessing.

As for the aspect of ethical and moral standards, they belong to the field of culture, concerning with people’s values. Thus, we consider ethical and moral standards in the perspective of special value and cosmopolitan value. Since the special value is relevant to too many different religious and believes, such as Christianity, Islamism, Buddhism and Confucianism, we only discuss the cosmopolitan value of ethical and moral standards. According to Laura Schlessinger, a female American PhD specialized in psychology, a universally accepted “good man” conception is a man with 3Cs: Character, Courage and Consciousness. That is to say, a man with virtue and goodness is ready to take the extra step over his inner battle for his own benefit and the others’ sake because in Bible, we have “We are arisen above the animal kingdom”. A true human is created to hold the characters that label him different among animals; possesses the courage to challenge the evil spirit, both outside and inside; and seize the consciousness that tells good from wrong. Therefore, the highest ethical and moral standards shape a person with perfection and with the almost all the character of Jesus, who is the example of every human. This conception, indeed, is very idealistic and abstract: on one hand, it should be a standard for everyone but on the other hand, no one can actually behave so perfect. So if we regard leader as one member of the human family, how can we require something impossible to the one who is just the same as us?

As for the leaders, if an effective leader must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards in public, then it must be the same for an artist, scientist, actor or even a litterateur, because they are as equal as a leader in the perspective of human species. But why people still tend to emphasis leaders? Probably, the majority idealize the leaders as the models for perfection. Driving by incentive to earn the admiration of the grand people, most leaders maintain the highest ethical and moral standards in public while deal with dirty business behind public’s eye. However, their decisive moral behavior is just the accomplice of the destroyer of morality. What’s more, career and life should be taken apart. Leader, as a head-person in certain field, should be judged more by his personal capability and contribution. Perhaps it quite painful to mention the former American President William Jefferson Clinton, his talent in administration and economical policy are not subordinate to the sexual scandal. We may have abundant reasons to condemn him of not being a good husband and father, but we also couldn’t deny that William Jefferson Clinton is one of the most outstanding presidents in the United States. Thus, we couldn’t judge whether a leader is effective or not by his public ethical and moral behavior, although it is an essential standard for a human being.

In sum, the ethical and moral standards are concerned with the eternity of a standard for human beings with virtues, while the standard for an effective leader is largely depend on his personal ability upon his work, not so much related to the ethics and morality. Of course, it is better for an effective leader with the highest ethical and moral behaviors, but it will be more realistic if we behave ourselves with higher standards rather than ask the others too much when he is not Jesus.