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ArcaMax Publishing > Business News > Message for Daily Living

Principles and Values

Some say truth can be denied, but it cannot be avoided. We can say the same thing about moral/ethical values. Eventually, they must be followed, or we end up on the horns of a dilemma.

A real dilemma was created while Bill Clinton was in office. Many people, including this writer, felt his personal conduct was degrading to the Oval Office and that, since he perjured himself, he should have resigned or been kicked out of office. The other side said a person's private life has nothing to do with his public life and, as long as he was "doing his job," it was none of our business what he did in his personal life.

The interesting thing, however, is that during the period of time when the Monica Lewinsky affair was in progress, some disturbing things were happening internationally. First, North Korea sent a missile over Japan, causing considerable concern. Second, evidence is substantial that many secrets, including some of our high-tech computer information, had been given to China in exchange for campaign donations, compromising our national security. Third, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was rattling his sabers again, creating considerable unrest in his area. Fourth, the Kosovo conflict was escalating. Fifth, two embassies in Africa were bombed, resulting in a tragic loss of life. Countless other little "incidents" were not exactly taken care of, because our chief executive was too busy deprecating the Oval Office to do his job.

I write the following specifically for the benefit of those who say that private life has nothing to do with public performance. George W. Bush made it no secret that his faith was important to him. However, many of the same people who said one president's immoral life had no bearing on his job performance are now saying that another president's moral convictions in his personal life will negatively affect his job performance. They say this, despite the fact Bush's beliefs did not seem to affect his decision-making process while he was governor of Texas.

Interesting, isn't it? They use politically correct terms and say it's "troubling" or "very troubling." I can see where some of them are coming from. It would be troubling if we posted the Ten Commandments, and respected them as the Ten Commandments and not just 10 suggestions. If Americans started turning to those centuries-old principles -- "Love thy neighbor as thyself," "Do not covet your neighbor's wife," "Do not lie," "Do not steal," "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other," "Practice the Golden Rule" and "Do not kill" -- I can well imagine how that would devastate our country!

There are some who say "you can't legislate morality," which is simply not true. The overwhelming majority of us believe that murder, rape, child/spousal abuse as well as robbery, and so on, are immoral, and laws have been passed to curtail these activities.

Question: What do you think would happen if our country had no moral governing authority? Consider a baseball game with no umpires. I can hear the pitcher now, arguing that every ball he throws is a strike, the batter determining that every ball the pitcher throws is a ball. I can imagine the first baseman saying, "He was out!" and the runner saying, "I was safe!" I think you get the picture.

Unless we have a moral authority we can depend on, we are headed for confusion and trouble. While in office, it was a delight to know that Bush recognized God Himself as the governing authority. Bush did not insist we all believe as he does. He believes principles and values will create order in our country and restore America to greatness. Living under a rule that employs principles and values will also give people of all races, creeds and colors an opportunity to take advantage of the freedom and free enterprise that America offers.

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.

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Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.

This news arrived on: 08/31/2009

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