Maybe I’ve lived too long. Or maybe I wish my memory was much shorter.
Either way, the word scandalon – from the Greek word: the trigger mechanism of a trap – shows up in our vicinity way too often. We’ve seen way too many triggers go off!
We can talk about local government and provincial government scandal. We can talk about retail and speculation scandal. We can talk about service industry scandals and next door neighbour indiscretions.
But, I’m not just talking about outside scandals. The saying goes – “The heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked.” Of course, that old saying applies to men and women (and any other newly minted gender we may speculate about), not just “man”.
I’d like to be on the side of some of my colleagues. I’d like to state that the heart of man is always good and pure. All we have to do is mine for the diamonds and clear away the debris.
But maybe I’ve lived too long. Or maybe I wish my memory was much shorter.
We often figure that a moral compass will direct our paths. Of course, we have to pick up a compass that is not faulty. And there is the crux of the matter. A compass can only point the way, not cause us to go the right direction. The love of money, the love of status and position and many other loves we embrace can unsettle a moral compass.
When scandal takes place – when our frailty is exposed – we can create a shield for protection. That shield may look like a politician denying responsibility, or a speculator insisting on the innocence of their intent, or the blaming others by ourselves.
I’m all too familiar with those who don’t walk the talk. Long before the scandalon springs shut on us – we need to admit our frailty. Our own might and power will not spring us loose. Any exit we may think we have found puts us back on the same road that led to the scandal in the first place.
Let’s get over ourselves. Admit wrong and seek the right. Give restitution where needed and as able.
And seek a replacement for an old heart that inclines to the wrong. Get a new heart that loves what is right.
I think religion has something to be at said at this point.
Not all religions. We know the ones that dig us deeper into hate, revenge and recrimination. Or the ones that provide a veneer of propriety while stoking the fires of pride and selfishness.
True religion brings us back to a clear reflection of ourselves, a solution for our wrongs, and a path for new life. Don’t settle for second best.
