Justice and Compassion
Today, I write about the interrelated topics of justice and compassion. First, justice. Normally, I find myself railing about the plight of the disenfranchised and the powerless, but this piece is about the powerful and how remarkably unjustly they are being treated – the leaders of the great financial and now auto companies whose collective imminent demise is being prevented by the intervention of the federal government that is infusing, or considering the infusion of, public tax dollars to prop up their enterprises. Without argument, almost all of the managers still in charge of these failing institutions remain in charge, and tax dollars in the now famous TARP program are all that may prevent a disastrous devolution of the economy into depression and massive unemployment that will drag down the global economy as well. What is unjust about all of this is that they are NOT being held to account; they are not being dismissed for having failed the interests of their shareholders or employees; and they are not being permitted to learn the lessons of their terrible decisions. Like a child caught cheating on his or her homework, failure to apply sanctions may consign them to a future of many more bad decisions. It’s a terrible thing to miss the important lessons of life, and the heads of Goldman Sachs and General Motors should be permitted to miss the experience. After lifetimes of espousing the wisdom of free markets, they rode that wisdom to the brink of social disaster. Wouldn’t it also be a fine thing to have them realize that free markets need to be checked by appropriate governmental regulation?It is not a minor matter that taxpayers will end up getting the short end of things as well if these people remain in power. Shouldn’t bailout funding of these failed enterprises be driven not only appropriate public ownership, but also by enterprise based commitments to social goals: the financing of renewable energy or the development of highly efficient vehicles that must be developed for our climate’s future if humans are to survive? But I digress. In part, my plea for more just treatment of mega-failed managements of these mega-businesses – such as firing them lock, stock, and barrel – is, oddly enough, born of compassion. Without such treatment, they risk a future where their moral compasses and analytical tools will not connect the dots between their failed judgments and their failed institutions. If they were in high school, it would never be possible to escape that connection between behavior and outcomes. In the words of a classical parent, they will be better for the experience.Speaking of compassion, I must refer you to a most remarkable 3 minute video on the internet inspired by one of the TED prize winners from this past year, Karen Armstrong. It could, and hopefully will, change your life: http://charterforcompassion.com/.Â