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Motivation

MORAL MUTENESS

By Persa Sanjana Hussain 

In the crosscurrent of globalization, consumerism and fast-paced progress, what is being left out is our sense of ethics. The concept of moral muteness has become increasingly important to understand why more and more people are falling silent on relevant issues amidst the chaos of contemporary life. Here is a quick read to understand what moral muteness is and how we can better tackle the ethical crisis it sparks

Many people think ethics and integrity are the same. Realistically ethics are the statements hanging on the wall while integrity is the way the ethics are consistently applied. Perhaps walking your talk is the real definition.
Ethics is perceived as the values displayed in your personal life, and integrity is the way you model and apply your values to relationships, parenting, caring and giving. Ethics plus integrity equals morality.
A research shows how people remember the times they acted ethically, like playing a game fairly, more clearly than the times they probably cheated. Researchers from Northwestern University and Harvard University coined the term “unethical amnesia” to describe this phenomenon, which they believe stems from the fact that memories of ourselves acting in ways we shouldn’t are uncomfortable.
Unethical amnesia is also closely linked to moral muteness where people are not vocal about moral decisions of their own or a third party especially when they are unethical. Researches prove that we don’t like to think of ourselves as immoral people, and may come up with justifications for our behavior that would indicate the contrary. These results could indicate why certain acts of dishonesty are so pervasive, like hitching free rides on public transportation, stealing from the workplace, and even cheating on taxes.
This is especially a concerning issue in the business environment where manager feel more obliged to making profits for the organization than to respond to moral emergencies. There are countless examples when profit chunks have been given more importance by companies than basic human rights of their employees, customers or other stakeholders. The results can be small-scale damage to stakeholders and a huge blow to the long-term ethical standards of the society.
There are costs to moral muteness. In fact, these may be greater a threat than any other risks to harmony, efficiency, power and effectiveness. But, because they’re not as obvious they are often ignored.
As the phenomenon becomes pervasive it leaves its impact on underprivileged lives, since it continues to creates bystanders who choose to stay neutral and spare themselves the trouble of messing with the system till they become the victim. Not speaking up about what we think is wrong will not only affect our sense of self but also the ones around us and eventually even people we don’t know, since it has the potential to spark a domino effect.
On a whole, our society is slowly but surely becoming immune to violations of moral standards and thus more “tolerant” in a reverse way. This is where activists who are constantly voicing their concerns come in. This is why people like you and I should attempt to educate ourselves on the most pressing issues of our time, to be on the role of “moral witness.” Taking responsibility goes hand in hand with being responsive — and the work to fix it before it becomes too late is a constant one. Letting moral muteness take over the society would be our worst crime.

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