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-Mark Victor Hansen author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Enclosed is a copy of the book, "In Search of Ethics: Conversations with Men and Women of Character" by Dr. Len Marella, USMA Class of 1957. You are required to read this book in its entirety prior to your July 1st arrival. Be sure to bring it with you to West Point. As part of your summer training, you will be asked to write a reflective essay on your concept of honor, with the book as a primary reference/soure of information to help you with this very critical, character-building topic. The book will be used as a continuing reference for th Values Education you will experience while at USMA.

The Corps of Cadets lives under the Cadet Honor Code:

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

That was Halt Harrington in the Washington Post on Dec. 27, 1987, in response to the financial and sexual scandals of that period. Then, the ethical violations were comitted by men named Ivan Boesky and Michael Milkin. Their means to immoral ends were junk bonds and insider trading. The most prominent (though by no means only) sexual sinners of the '80s wer Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado and TV evangelist Jim Bakker.

It is remarkable how little has changed since then. Today, most of the public recognizes the names of corporations tainted by ethical violations more than they do the individuals who head them - Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Xerox, Rite Aid.

In 1988, I published a book titled, "The Death of Ethics in America." One of my points was that if we do not teach our children the importance of ethics and good morals and model such things before them, they are not likely to display them automatically.

Our culture promotes greed, and so greed we get. From those profiled on television to the stories in popular magazines, the selfish corporate chief with his huge income, private plane(s), multiple residences (and sometimes multiple wives) is king. The CEO who looks out for his employees before himself and who is paid a salary that never comes close to the obscene, seems not to exist.

Our politics suffers from a shortage of people who put character and country before career and personal gain. We need more congressman like Rep. J.C. Watts(R-Okla.), who has announced his retirement because he believes there are things in life more important than a congressional career. Watts has been a model of personal and professional rectitude.

The current round of business scandals will be addressed by the courts and Congress, which will pass new regulations and laws that will be effective as the laws and regulations just violated. Some members of Congress will be influenced by corporate lobbyists interested in blunting the impact of any new legislation.

James Madison believed the public would mostly elect virtuous people to office, but only if the people were mainly virtuous.

"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea," Madison wrote.

The late Senate Chaplain, Richard C. Halverson (cq), looked at the ethical scandals in high places nearly 20 years ago and offered this diagnosis of their source: "Abandoning an absolute ethical (and) moral standard leads irresistibly to the absence of ethics and morality. Each person determines his own moral/ethical code. That's anarchy. Humans become their own gods and decide, each in his own way, what is good and what is evil. Evil becomes good - good becomes evil. Upside down morality! Good is ridiculed! Evil is dignified!"

It isn't that all people in every age don't sin (remember that "quaint" word?). Wrongdoing was once treated seriously. Today, it doesn't matter and what we tolerate we get more of. Celebrity is all that matters today and it matters not how attained. A killer may be sought by people who desire his autograph. The Puritans put those who stole other people's money on display in the public square to be ridiculed and spat upon by the public. Our "robber barons" hire expensive lawyers and have a good chance of escaping any meaningful punishment. Rather that accept blame, they blame others.

It isn't that we don't know where to look for guidance in how to build lives of personal integrity and governments and institutions that reflect them. It is that we have chosen to ignore such things in the pursuit of immediate gratification.

Reflecting on the monetary scandals of the 1920's which led to the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover observed, "Monetary loss or even the shock of moral sensibilities is perhaps a passing thing, but the braking down of the faith of a people in the honesty of their government and in the integrity of their institutions, the lowering of respect for the standards of honor which prevail in high places, are crimes for which punishment can never atone." ("Memoirs of Herbert Hoover," Macmillan Co., 1952)

     I read with interest and considerable concern the well-stated thoughts you expressed in "Ethics Still Dead in America." In recent weeks we have been admonished in editorials and commentaries across the country to take action in order to readress the unethical practices of those leaders in industry, government, the church, and academia who have violated our trust, sullied our international reputation, and heightened fears about the future well-being of our society - for ourselves and our children. Many of the suggestions for action. including the President's, call for tougher laws, standards, enforcement, and sanctions. The goal is to deny the opportunity for untoward behavior and inflict severe adverse consequences on convicted perpetrators (in order to deter others and protect ourselves).

     While these suggestions merit our attention and adoption, by themselves, they will not succeed. In addition, we must take action to develop a positive commitment to ethical behavior and character - across all segments of our society. In our pluralistic democracy, this goal may seem unattainable and unrealistic. It is not; it is achievable and it is imperative that we never abandon this quest - otherwise we will fail under the weight of our own misdeeds. It was Dr. Rush Kiddler, President of the Institute for Global Ethics who so clearly admonished: "We will not survive the 21st Century with the ethics of the 20th Century."

     Character development is a continuous process, people of character are made, they are not born. Thus, we must be as dedicated to the development of ethical people as we are to the development of their professional competence. This means that we must develop leaders of character, not merely leaders of competence - we must do this in all walks of life (government, industry, the military, medicine, the clergy, athletics, etc.) It matters not what practice or profession we consider - it must be populated with people of character who are blessed with the leaders of character.

     What can we do? We can adopt the model, exemplified at the United States Military Academy, West Point, attendant to the development of Commissioned Officers for the United States Army who are educated, trained, and inspired to be Leaders of Character. The process is not easy, but the goal is mandated in the mission of the Academy and the institutional commitment is manifest throughout the West Point experience. We can adopt this model in every profession and in each walk of life. It is straightforward.

     The process recognizes the need for a blend of education (we must learn about ethics), practice (we must live according to ethical standards), belief (we must embrace the ethical code and make it our own, seeing that it works in our lives), and we must lead (we accept opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to the ethical development of all those we touch - by our example, if nothing else).

     When I wrote: In Search of Ethics, Conversations with Men and Women of Character I was encouraged by the finding that the vast majority of people, in all professions, seemed to know and share common values. However, I was discouraged to find that we are so willing to behave in a contrary manner. This is due largely to failure (in our families, churches, schools, communities, and ourselves) to continuously and unfailingly work at the development of character.

     We can bring the process of Character Development (as modeled at West Point) into our schools, communities, industry, professions, etc. While the effort will be challenging, it is essential; and we have every reason to be hopeful. We know it is right to be ethical and to behave in a moral manner. We can live it, we can teach it, and we can make it happen - each person, institution, community, and profession can participate, one step at a time. In our commentaries and in the political process we must adopt this positive approach to redressing ethical failings along with the consequentialist actions that are so widely proffered. Let's also commit resources and energy in a positive direction to build a more ethical world.

     Thank you for considering this, my thoughts and for supporting in fostering programs for character development in our society.

Sincerely,

Len Marella, PhD
President
Center for Leadership and Ethics