Glass houses...

I was reading about the disappointing result of the Daschle and Killefer nominations, I am reminded of two catchphrases. The first is, "Karma is a bitch." The second is, "Character is who you are when no one is watching." Both of these apply here. I don't think that these two individuals thought that the rules did not apply to them, although there seem to be plenty in Washington who do. I honestly believe that they are like a lot of us- they acted selfishly because they didn't think they were going to get caught and, since it was only taxes, no one was going to get hurt by them trying to keep more of their money than they should.

Before we condemn, let's have a moment of honesty here. Have you ever taken a deduction that was iffy or fudged an amount? Don't lie, almost everyone has. How do you think CPAs and tax attorneys stay in business? Why do we feel it is okay for us to condemn some one's character for something we have no qualms doing ourselves? Aren't we only harming ourselves by rejecting the help of experienced and well qualified people because they are no more perfect than we are? Obama, in reaction to this "scandal" has said that there should not be a different set of rules for those in office than there is for the American public. By expecting perfection from our public officials but not from ourselves, aren't we creating a separate set of rules for them?

That said, these two people demonstrate something that many of us deny- there is a day of reckoning for every bad act we take. It may take for a while and we may even forget the circumstances under which it happened, but eventually our bad acts will come back and bite us on the butt in one way or another. The determination of the goodness of an act does not rest with whether or not we are likely to get caught. Just because you weren't detected and held responsible doesn't mean that what you did was okay.

While no one is perfect and one's good acts should outweigh the bad ones, we do not through our imperfection and good acts get carte blanche to do whatever we want, especially if we feel no one will find out or "everyone else does it too." In our hearts, we know what is right and wrong. Even if no one EVER finds out, we know what we did and it affects how we view ourselves and the choices we make later on. Karma is not limited to the outside effects of our actions, we create karma for ourselves through our internal choices. Karma is a bitch, yes, but we ultimately decide just how much of a bitch we want it to be.

Then there's character. Our knowing what is right and wrong is the voice of our character. If we ALWAYS act with character, then we never have to look over our shoulder and wonder if retribution is coming. If we make sure that we are always right with ourselves and others, that we act with the same level of honesty and integrity that we wish from others, then we will never have to worry about a day of reckoning. If you are known for always telling the truth, when a situation comes up that throws doubt on you or what you have said, then you will be ten times more likely to be believed and given the benefit of the doubt. If you lie, even occasionally, then there will always be the question of whether you are telling the truth THIS time. Why put yourself in that position? Pretend that there is always someone watching, because even if no one else is, there's always your conscience.

And you can never escape your conscience; it's always with you.