Deceiving to get ahead in life. Is it right or is it wrong?

Well I'd like to broach the topic of deceiving in the workplace etc to get yourself ahead in the rat race of life.

Why do I bring this up?  I was watching a documentary on David Geffen the other night on one of the local PBS stations and found out that some of his success was all based on a lie and cover up of said deceit. (About: Inventing David Geffen PBS, 2012-11-07) He basically did not have any problem lying to get ahead in the workplace.  Very sad.  We eventually had to turn it off and change the channel since our daughter was watching as well.  I'd heard a bit about this man in the past and known of some of his success.  I just did not know it was based on lies and deceit.


Also I was reading something in a trade show magazine I receive called Exhibitor.  The article - Guerrillas in the Midst is very telling and informs you about some disturbing activities in the work place.
In the commentary it referred to a couple of blogosphere postings on how to get ahead in the marketing game by not paying anything.
The mentioned examples were a person going to a trade show and plastering posters and fliers all over the place like the stalls in the restroom etc.  Essentially, taking advantage of the trade shows setup without necessarily having a booth.  Not a good method if you do not have a booth.  Your therefore acting like a leech.

And talking about a leech.  The second example was an Asian guy who basically stole a persons identity at the trade show and then went on to promote his company all the while masquerading as the other guy.  Very low in deed.  Though in both cases the posters seemed to applaud them for their guerrilla tactics.  The commentary hopes the larger marketing industry will shun this type of activity.




Also during a discussion in church I learned about the length to which person will go to cheat on their exams in law school.  The person said people would throw in the trash in the bathroom some note cards with information that they could use in the test.  In the middle of the test they go to the bathroom and retrieve the information off the cards.  Coming back they have had some fresh information giving them a leg up on the rest of the students.  So due to this they now have to be accompanied to the bathroom during tests.  Oh the length to which people will go.




We find this also in the political arena.  Look at the underhanded tactics that have been used for the presidential campaign or even the local mayoral race for Los Angeles.  Full of half truths and misinformation being spread around to confuse the voter.  Most will not find out the truth..... or if they do ... by then the damage maybe done.
Just like when a lawyer leaks something out with the jury present in a line of questioning.  How does the jury forget these things even though they have heard them.  Kind of hard to "Disregard" that piece of information though inaccurate or misleading that is now out there. It taints the information pool and that is why the lawyers love to us it.

Look at the current IRS scandal. They targeted conservative groups to hold them up and stone wall their exempt status petitions.  Why do that?  If you can't get in the game you can't be effective.  And the fall out.  Fire or force out the acting head of the IRS who was set to retire in June.  Basically, push a scape goat out one month before he is set to retire.  Will anyone be held accountable for their actions?  We may never know.  This will loss strength in our 24 hour news cycle.  Then they will quietly sweep it under the rug.  No one will really find out who authorized what and when.
The problem is more why is this appearing to happen more frequently in the last few years?
Have things changed so much in the last 100 years?

"I recall a time—and some of you here tonight will also—when the standards of most people were very similar to our standards. No longer is this true. I recently read an article in the New York Times concerning a study which took place during the summer of 2008. A distinguished Notre Dame sociologist led a research team in conducting in-depth interviews with 230 young adults across America. I believe we can safely assume that the results would be similar in most parts of the world. "
Dare to Stand Alone Thomas S. Monson President of the Church

We now have the Internet, and 24 hour news stations.  But, are things getting worse or are we really just more hypersensitive?

Though this story relates how all is not lost.

"A friend related this experience her husband had while attending medical school. “Getting into medical school is pretty competitive, and the desire to do well and be successful puts a great deal of pressure on the new incoming freshmen. My husband had worked hard on his studies and went to attend his first examination. The honor system was expected behavior at the medical school. The professor passed out the examination and left the room. Within a short time, students started to pull little cheat papers out from under their papers or from their pockets. My husband recalled his heart beginning to pound as he realized it is pretty hard to compete against cheaters. About that time a tall, lanky student stood up in the back of the room and stated: ‘I left my hometown and put my wife and three little babies in an upstairs apartment and worked very hard to get into medical school. And I’ll turn in the first one of you who cheats, and you better believe it!’ They believed it. There were many sheepish expressions, and those cheat papers started to disappear as fast as they had appeared. He set a standard for the class which eventually graduated the largest group in the school’s history.” ²

The young, lanky medical student who challenged the cheaters was J Ballard Washburn, who became a respected physician and in later years received special recognition from the Utah Medical Association for his outstanding service as a medical doctor. He also served as a General Authority and is now the president of the Las Vegas Nevada Temple."

Honesty—a Moral Compass James E. Faust

The moral fabric of society is falling apart.

What was deemed unacceptable just a few years ago is now considered not so bad by some.  Take the change in music for example.  Many complained in the past about the gyrating hips of ELVIS.  Now some dancers in shows have maneuvers that simulate sex acts or other intimate activities reserved for married couples.  Even the lyrics are getting worse.  Some however thinly veiled talk about sexual things or use language not even suitable for an adult of any age.

So what are we to do?
What should we do?


We have to hold up the standard for ourselves even if it means that we might not get ahead as some would, or will.  We will in the end be conscious that we have done the right thing.

"Brethren, none within the sound of my voice should be in any doubt concerning what is moral and what is not, nor should any be in doubt about what is expected of us ... We have been and continue to be taught God’s laws. Despite what you may see or hear elsewhere, these laws are unchanging.

As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? ... it is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come our way. Remember the words of Tennyson: “My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure.”

Dare to Stand Alone Thomas S. Monson President of the Church

"I can share with you a simple example from my own life of what parents can do. When I was about five or six years old, I lived across the street from a small grocery store. One day two other boys invited me to go with them to the store. As we stood coveting the candy for sale there, the older boy grabbed a candy bar and slipped it into his pocket. He urged the other boy and me to do the same, and after some hesitation we did. Then we quickly left the store and ran off in separate directions. I found a hiding place at home and tore off the candy wrapper. My mother discovered me with the chocolate evidence smeared on my face and escorted me back to the grocery store. As we crossed the street, I was sure I was facing life imprisonment. With sobs and tears, I apologized to the owner and paid him for the candy bar with a dime that my mother had loaned me (which I had to earn later). My mother’s love and discipline put an abrupt and early end to my life of crime."

Moral Discipline D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 All is not lost.  We can start in our own homes and show the right direction by our actions.  We can train up our children to do the right.  And thus we can help to save the raising generation and the Nation in which we live.  For as the fabric of society falls apart and the family is attacked so goes the nation.  But, as we stem the tide and go against the flow of lacking morals and the like we can help to set a new standard.  Though in reality it is not a new standard.  For the standards of God do not change!

Buaidh - NO - Bas