What happened to Abe Lincoln's penny?
Many of us were raised on the story of Abraham Lincoln walking many miles to return a penny to the storekeeper who had given him too much change. The story was to teach us the fundamental ethics of honesty and personal integrity.During a recent professional football game a gigantic lineman was caught holding an even more colossal opposing player. That's against the rules. Whistles were blown, and yellow flags were thrown, and the referee marched off a 10-yard penalty. The television replay clearly showed the holding infraction. Then one of the TV commentators made a surprising statement. He said, "I'd hold him, too. If you don't get caught, it's not holding."
That philosophy pervades our whole society - it's all right as long as you don't get caught. The philosophy is practiced from the top of our society down - by top elected officials, by appointed officials, by presidents, by cabinet members, by mayors, by members of Congress, by presidents and executive officers of major and minor corporations, by military personnel, by athletes, by coaches, by players of all levels (even sandlot and playground jocks), by teachers, by students and by many of the ordinary citizens of the country. We see the philosophy everywhere. It's the way of life for a lot of people.
Is it really all right if we don't get caught when we break the rules?
There aren't enough referees and umpires and officials around to make us play by the rules. There aren't enough police officers to watch over us to make us obey the laws of the land. There aren't enough courts and judges available to try us fast enough to force us to obey the law. There aren't enough jails and prisons to hold those of us who break the laws.
Each individual must have reasons to want to obey the law and play by the rules. There must be a return to honesty and personal integrity and responsibility for one's own actions. Otherwise, we fail as individuals, and then our society fails.
Where is Honest Abe's penny?
A. Hamer Reiser Jr.
Salt Lake City