In: Operations Management
Bernie Madoff was a rich man and did what he did to be richer. Imagine you are a poor man (or woman). Would you do what Madoff did to get out of poverty if you think that it is the only way out?
When the laws of the State are followed and acts are undertaken within the purview of such laws, such acts are termed to be legal in nature. In most of the cases, legal acts attempt to complement the ethical acts as well. Ethical on the other side, are those acts that are undertaken within the framework of moral values as posed by the ethics. However, not all acts that are unethical may also be said to be illegal.
Poverty sometimes could be very harsh. When your stomach is empty, it reflects your action and your attitude. You tend to see the whole world as hostile to you. You lose the wisdom to think and act. Given such conditions, it could be a general human tendency to do a certain act that is regarded as unethical or inappropriate. However, not all of us sail in the same boat. Probably, I would have still afforded to skip a night without a meal but to do something unethical or illegal that could bring shame to my family. I may be poor in terms of money but certainly rich with regards to emotions that I hold for my near and dear ones. For me, my family’s well-being cannot be at the cost of the money that is not rightfully mine. I have a belief such materialistic pleasures, including the major one: the money, does not last for long, if not earned in a righteous way.
Had I been in case of Madoff, I would have preferred certainly to keep my feet grounded to the moral principles and values. However, as far as my poverty is concerned, I would have tried to pick up any job that is legal in nature and grants me some consideration, which is at least enough to feed my family. For me, my family’s happiness and well-being lies in my honesty and security. I cannot imagine myself being in constant tension of losing what is not ideally mine or being put behind the bars for the crime I commit in the name of helplessness and poverty, because that shall make my family unhappy, besides me as well.