I was recently accused of an impropriety, that was false, but it got my blood to boil. It made me think why others might perceive me as dishonest or out of line in what I was doing. Then I tried to put it all in perspective and realized that in the final analysis, when we breath our last breath, when they stick us in the grave, that all we really leave behind is our reputation of being a "good" person or not. So for the record, I want to be known as a good, caring and honest person who helped others become better and helped lift them up in some way.
We hear of scandals on a daily basis, how a person of high standing did something to or with someone that was "inappropriate" or "misguided" or "off color". Whether or not it is true, the damage has been done and others may begin to mistrust the individual or may no longer hold this person in as high esteem as before. If the tale is true, then so be it, but if the tale is a falsehood, then it may become a tragedy.
In our political world and in the business world, opponents or competitors will at times stretch the truth or take a comment out of context, and use it to besmirch another's good name, product or reputation. I guess that tactic is as old as the world. Remember the serpent used it to incite Cane to kill his brother Able.
So here is my suggestion; if you think someone is dealing falsely with another, maybe it would be a good idea to do a little investigation to determine what is really going on before you publish a condemnation of the person. You could even go to the person directly and ask them if what you are seeing or hearing is correct. If you are the person whose reputation is being slandered, then maybe you can stand up and correct whatever is happening or out of line, or defend yourself if it is a falsehood.
The reality is that we all live in a world of imperfect people and we all make mistakes. We must be sure that we do our best to be totally "above board" and act as honestly as we can. Don't even go close to the edge of right or wrong, stay away from that ground so there is no misunderstanding.
If we behave ourselves in a manner that is always appropriate, then we will develop a reputation of being a good honest person. Clients and customers will know this and will be more apt to do business with us. When the obituary is read at our memorial service, let's all hope that the person giving the obit will have nothing but good to say and that the listeners will agree. Good luck.
We hear of scandals on a daily basis, how a person of high standing did something to or with someone that was "inappropriate" or "misguided" or "off color". Whether or not it is true, the damage has been done and others may begin to mistrust the individual or may no longer hold this person in as high esteem as before. If the tale is true, then so be it, but if the tale is a falsehood, then it may become a tragedy.
In our political world and in the business world, opponents or competitors will at times stretch the truth or take a comment out of context, and use it to besmirch another's good name, product or reputation. I guess that tactic is as old as the world. Remember the serpent used it to incite Cane to kill his brother Able.
So here is my suggestion; if you think someone is dealing falsely with another, maybe it would be a good idea to do a little investigation to determine what is really going on before you publish a condemnation of the person. You could even go to the person directly and ask them if what you are seeing or hearing is correct. If you are the person whose reputation is being slandered, then maybe you can stand up and correct whatever is happening or out of line, or defend yourself if it is a falsehood.
The reality is that we all live in a world of imperfect people and we all make mistakes. We must be sure that we do our best to be totally "above board" and act as honestly as we can. Don't even go close to the edge of right or wrong, stay away from that ground so there is no misunderstanding.
If we behave ourselves in a manner that is always appropriate, then we will develop a reputation of being a good honest person. Clients and customers will know this and will be more apt to do business with us. When the obituary is read at our memorial service, let's all hope that the person giving the obit will have nothing but good to say and that the listeners will agree. Good luck.
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