DOING THE "RIGHT THING" RIGHT.

I am not at liberty to reveal details but this week I heard the debriefing of a security agent. This agent was talking about a security operation that though successful in its mission, cost him the trust of the people he was serving. For this agent, that loss of trust from people represented a blot on his success, a rain on his parade that he was not happy with. He knew he needed to learn something from it.
 
This got me thinking. It is important in life that we do the “right thing.” The “right thing” to do can sometimes be defined in simple terms, especially when we view it in terms of goals to accomplish, of missions to fulfill. Against criticism of our M.O. we easily justify ourselves with the words, “But I got the job done, didn’t I?” But is doing the “right thing” the most important things or is it also as important, if not more, to do the “right thing” right?
 
We live in a complicated world where there are many ways to measure success. One dayI watched  parts of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. The teams were not judged only on who won the race, but they were judged also on the care they gave to their dogs as they did it. They could of course beat the dogs to death and win the race itself, but they would be penalised in points for not doing it “right!” It seems that in our society some dogs are treated better than people.
 
There are many privileges living  in industrialised countries in our modern times, but sometimes the pursuit of these privileges may tempt us to forget the principles on which humanity is built. This week as I taught American History to a group of High-Schoolers, I fell on a quotation that I really liked: “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Who said it? Dwight D. Eisenhower.