The Parable of Sadhu
The Parable of Sadhu
After reading parable, I believe McCoy is saying two things. First ethics should not only be used for work and there are many times outside of our work structure that we get caught up in ourselves and our feelings that we miss character building moments and opportunities to do the right thing.
At work, ethics has an audience that helps people and corporations make decisions. Most companies do not want to look foolish in the media and they never want to end up in court. Those thoughts can guide their ethics. Without the guidance of a company’s mission and vision, as individuals, we can lose or never create our own ethical identity. McCoy surmised “Organizations that do not have a mutually accepted, shared values tend to become unhinged during stress with each individual bailing out for himself”. I.e. if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. I believe his thoughts are that we need to apply this type of logic to our lives outside of work.
McCoy shared that his previous attempts to climb Everest where halted by Pulmonary Edema, but because of that he was able to have to life changing experience with people he would have otherwise not meet. In this instance he gave up an opportunity to help someone, save a life and possible meet a great person which may have been as enriching as making it to the top. I think his thought is to share that life lessons are all around us if we take time to notice them.
I absolutely agree an individual having ethical principles that extent outside of work is important to our personal growth and our societies’ advancements. When we are completing our career goals and we land the “dream job” we can forget the personal sacrifice and growth it took to get there. We focus on keeping job and the growth of the company. The Parable of Sadhu reminds us our ethical stance can be challenged anywhere and at any time. We will not always