Ramy Burjony's Blog
Let's talk ethics
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
As the football world cup came to a close, there were incidents that raised controversy. This led to many discussions and ethics were at the centre of it all. How ethical are we?
Can we be ethical as well as hypocritical? If not does that just make us hypocritical full stop.
Prior to the world cup Thierry Henry a French player scored a goal with his hand to advance France to the world cup and eliminate Ireland.
During the quarter finals Suarez, a Uruguayan striker, used his hand to prevent the ball from entering his goal. Even though he was sent off and his side faced elimination, they managed to hold it together and reach the semi finals.
And who could forget Maradona’s handball that won the world cup for Argentina in 1986.
Many dive on the pitch in order to gain a penalty kick and in the hopes of getting the opposition’s player sent off.
All these are examples of unethical play. It’s cheating and it’s just not right.
However, can we have different degrees of being unethical? Or is it simply black or white? Is it ok to be dishonest on the football field but not in a medical environment? And what makes it ok?
Do the outcomes justify being unethical? Let’s take the above examples. Henry’s handball meant his team got to advance to the world cup. Suarez’s handball meant his team made the semi finals and etched their name in history. The same applies to Argentina. There were no serious adverse consequences, and there were benefits to the teams that advanced and their fans. It also created history.
So do you act unethically if it will benefit you? What are the consequences and how will you be remembered?
This leads me to another question - after dying would you rather be forgotten or hatefully remembered?
Lets’ step away from the football pitch and think about other situations. Why do some lines of work have a code of ethics they need to abide to, yet others don’t? All medical professional have some sort of ethical code. Dilemmas can be very strenuous and you can be forced to make them in seconds, or you can have ample time. At the end there are always consequences.
I think we would all struggle to find a perfect person. Everyone has an opinion. They may have high morals when it comes to one subject but their hypocritical side is exposed when they encounter another situation that benefits them.
So I leave you with this, would you rather be forgotten or hatefully remembered?
Cheers
Ramy Burjony
About Ramy Burjony