The White Lie: A lesson in doing the right thing!
The White Lie
Well we have seen a series of very interesting events unfold over the last week both Nationally and locally in Chicago. It would seem that the truth always comes out at some time. Lying is not the way to do things through life. Since I am not an overly religious person, but this line from the Bible sets the tone, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.",, John 8:32.
Well we have seen a series of very interesting events unfold over the last week both Nationally and locally in Chicago. It would seem that the truth always comes out at some time. Lying is not the way to do things through life. Since I am not an overly religious person, but this line from the Bible sets the tone, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.",, John 8:32.
So when a National News Anchor Brian Williams is removed from his anchor position for telling a
lie about how events actually occurred, and he calls it "mis-remembering". Itultimately brings into question the very integrity of his reporting. He violated his trust with the public, by failing to be a "mirror of the world" as a journalist.
Now yesterday NBC announced that they have suspended Brian Williams without pay for questions regarding his truthfulness in the incident in Iraq, as well as other incidents in New Orleans and elsewhere. There will certainly be more information that will come out about this
Then we turn to the revelations that surfaced yesterday that an investigation was unfolding about Jackie Robinson West Baseball team and where they get their players from. Today the National Little League Baseball has stripped the U.S. championship from the Chicago-based Jackie Robinson West team and has suspended the coach for violating a rule prohibiting the use of players who live outside the geographic area that the team represents. The Little League awarded the 2014 National title to the Las Vegas baseball team that lost to JRW.
Ultimately the kids lose out, because adults behaved poorly. The kids were not party to the decisions adults make, to expand the league boundaries, to cross over or encroach upon other leagues boundaries to create a super team, which ultimately took them to the National Championship. The kids did what any kid would want to do, play, win and succeed at a sport they love.
But what do these two incidents have incommon with each other, it goes to integrity and truthfulness. It comes down to just a few words. Those words are a "lie" and "cheat". A lie is a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood, something intended or serving to convey a false impression; an inaccurate or false statement; a falsehood. When Brian Williams made that decision to tell a story over a twelve years period, he made a conscious decision to embellish his actual involvement in Iraq stating his helicopter was hit by an RPG, when in fact he was never on the actual helicopter that had experienced that scary event.
In fact the actual event according to Military personnel was brought to light after "The admission came after crew members on the 159th Aviation Regiment’s Chinook that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire told Stars and Stripes that the NBC anchor was nowhere near that aircraft or two other Chinooks flying in the formation that took fire. Williams arrived in the area about an hour later on another helicopter after the other three had made an emergency landing, the crew members said." according to Stars and Stripes online. Brian Williams made a conscious decision to tell a lie back then, and continued to perpetrate that lie across the twelve years, including a blog post and then on National News when he took the Army Sergeant to the basketball game. Let me reiterate he made a conscious decision.
Brian Williams made comments that he was scared, in a news story to Stars and Stripes Magazine as he tried to backpedal his story. Williams said, he was "scared", it was his first "combat experience", and the "Fog of War" , "It was my first engagement of the war and remember I was scared...and it all became a fog of getting down on the ground, what do we do now,...I did what a civilian, an untrained civilian, would do in that instance and it was being scared...All we knew is we had been fired upon," the journalist said.
So why do people "lie" or "embellish"? People have embellished over history that history tells who we were, but myths tell who we are. Hence, anyone pretending to be objective has to intellectually fight his own natural instincts to keep from putting a spin on whatever he's commenting on. It's just a law of human nature: where you sit is where you stand.
In addition, in the workplace people lie because of competition and how it is such a "cut-throat and a desire to get ahead of the others, often induces people to lie." says Buzzfeed. Especially up and coming reporters, who are trying to make a name for themselves in an extremely competitive work environment.
Whatever the reason that Mr. Williams continued his lie over a decade is only known to him, but perhaps it is simply that telling the same story over a decade, he started to actually believe the lie and enjoyed the attention that it brought to him. Or there may be a another reason. To admit the lie, jeopardizes the very career that the lie, and perhaps other lies is founded upon. We shall never know, except, the only one that does know trulyis Mr. Williams himself.
Cheating
Now we turn to Jackie Robinson West and why the adults make a decision to put into place actions that might jeopardize the integrity of their league. The National Baseball Little League has rules put in place to identify boundaries for leagues, as well as how leagues are to expand upon boundaries. We learned yesterday that JRW didn't follow those rules, either subconsciously or intentionally rules were either ignored or circumvented.
Cheating is the getting of reward for ability by dishonest means or finding an easy way out of an unpleasant situation according to Wikipedia. But regardless, however you want to call it, cheating, bypassing or circumventing the rules an action, by the JRW league was put in play which resulted in players who were not in the league to play on ta super team.
The culture of winning, and all the material benefits that come with it, encourages top athletes to bend the rules, look for ways to take advantage of situations, and achieve success and recognition any way they can.
When looking at youth sports, one has to look a the motivations of the coaching staff.. One has to ask the question, "What is the Purpose of Youth Sports" Is it to prepare players to go to the next level in collegiate or professional sports? Then the coaching staff should be teaching them the very things they need to get to that next level. Or is it the coaches job to teach character and values, to prepare youths for life both during and after sports.
Certainly the behavior on the field and actions by the coaches on the field showed that they were teaching character and core values. There were numerous anecdotal incidents which exemplified this very such thing. In one incident a JRW player was over-zealously celebrating as he ran by the the Las Vegas bench. The JRW coach made the his player go over to the Las Vegas bench and apologize. That is class, sportsmanship and character. How does that match up against the decision to circumvent rules, to enhance the teams abilities and players?
How far is a coach, parent or the league willing to go to devalue the success of a team by cutting corners to win? Gamesmanship occurs when the coaches take their eyes off of learning and executing the fundamental sports skills in exchange for the win. Ultimately the team exchanges short-term success for long-term development.
What we have learned from both of the incidents detailed the ends only justify the means if you don't get caught. Certainly the Wall Street bankers, energy and communication companies who have caused financial meltdowns, didn't think they were going to get caught, they sacrificed long-term development for short-term success. Either way it is looked at their sacrifice to win at all costs, the goal to look better in they eyes of another, the vanity has damaged, impeded or hurt others. .
In sports, the goal is to win. Plain and simple. Let’s be honest, it is about whether you win or lose, not just how you play the game. But there is a line that many parents and coaches cross when it comes to winning. And that line is the difference between winning and winning at all costs.
Amy Rees Anderson, a reporter at Forbes Magazine, says that "Success will come and go, but integrity is forever." It means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, regardless if someone is watching or not.
When we leave this world the only thing we can take with us is our integrity and respect. If we sacrifice honor, integrity and respect for winning at all costs, or lying, we give up the only thing which defines us and those who can remember us for.
by
Robert Tornabene
Brian Williams made comments that he was scared, in a news story to Stars and Stripes Magazine as he tried to backpedal his story. Williams said, he was "scared", it was his first "combat experience", and the "Fog of War" , "It was my first engagement of the war and remember I was scared...and it all became a fog of getting down on the ground, what do we do now,...I did what a civilian, an untrained civilian, would do in that instance and it was being scared...All we knew is we had been fired upon," the journalist said.
So why do people "lie" or "embellish"? People have embellished over history that history tells who we were, but myths tell who we are. Hence, anyone pretending to be objective has to intellectually fight his own natural instincts to keep from putting a spin on whatever he's commenting on. It's just a law of human nature: where you sit is where you stand.
In addition, in the workplace people lie because of competition and how it is such a "cut-throat and a desire to get ahead of the others, often induces people to lie." says Buzzfeed. Especially up and coming reporters, who are trying to make a name for themselves in an extremely competitive work environment.
Whatever the reason that Mr. Williams continued his lie over a decade is only known to him, but perhaps it is simply that telling the same story over a decade, he started to actually believe the lie and enjoyed the attention that it brought to him. Or there may be a another reason. To admit the lie, jeopardizes the very career that the lie, and perhaps other lies is founded upon. We shall never know, except, the only one that does know trulyis Mr. Williams himself.
Cheating
Now we turn to Jackie Robinson West and why the adults make a decision to put into place actions that might jeopardize the integrity of their league. The National Baseball Little League has rules put in place to identify boundaries for leagues, as well as how leagues are to expand upon boundaries. We learned yesterday that JRW didn't follow those rules, either subconsciously or intentionally rules were either ignored or circumvented.
Cheating is the getting of reward for ability by dishonest means or finding an easy way out of an unpleasant situation according to Wikipedia. But regardless, however you want to call it, cheating, bypassing or circumventing the rules an action, by the JRW league was put in play which resulted in players who were not in the league to play on ta super team.
The culture of winning, and all the material benefits that come with it, encourages top athletes to bend the rules, look for ways to take advantage of situations, and achieve success and recognition any way they can.
When looking at youth sports, one has to look a the motivations of the coaching staff.. One has to ask the question, "What is the Purpose of Youth Sports" Is it to prepare players to go to the next level in collegiate or professional sports? Then the coaching staff should be teaching them the very things they need to get to that next level. Or is it the coaches job to teach character and values, to prepare youths for life both during and after sports.
Certainly the behavior on the field and actions by the coaches on the field showed that they were teaching character and core values. There were numerous anecdotal incidents which exemplified this very such thing. In one incident a JRW player was over-zealously celebrating as he ran by the the Las Vegas bench. The JRW coach made the his player go over to the Las Vegas bench and apologize. That is class, sportsmanship and character. How does that match up against the decision to circumvent rules, to enhance the teams abilities and players?
How far is a coach, parent or the league willing to go to devalue the success of a team by cutting corners to win? Gamesmanship occurs when the coaches take their eyes off of learning and executing the fundamental sports skills in exchange for the win. Ultimately the team exchanges short-term success for long-term development.
What we have learned from both of the incidents detailed the ends only justify the means if you don't get caught. Certainly the Wall Street bankers, energy and communication companies who have caused financial meltdowns, didn't think they were going to get caught, they sacrificed long-term development for short-term success. Either way it is looked at their sacrifice to win at all costs, the goal to look better in they eyes of another, the vanity has damaged, impeded or hurt others. .
In sports, the goal is to win. Plain and simple. Let’s be honest, it is about whether you win or lose, not just how you play the game. But there is a line that many parents and coaches cross when it comes to winning. And that line is the difference between winning and winning at all costs.
Amy Rees Anderson, a reporter at Forbes Magazine, says that "Success will come and go, but integrity is forever." It means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, regardless if someone is watching or not.
When we leave this world the only thing we can take with us is our integrity and respect. If we sacrifice honor, integrity and respect for winning at all costs, or lying, we give up the only thing which defines us and those who can remember us for.
by
Robert Tornabene
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