Ethics, self-interest, and the public good - Page 29 |
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27 Joel L. Fleishman sufficient reason, an ethical reason, to hold public office, and that it is ALWAYS the mission commitment of a candidate that redeems whatever amount of ego motivates a candidate and transforms self- interest into public interest. Why is that so? Because it is only those candidates who are motivated by mission who will not so easily, so casually trim his or her sails with regard to the positions that are central to his or her mission. He or she will not so willingly sac-rifice the goals of the mission in order to attain the glory of office. Those who do sacrifice the goals of the mission in order to achieve election have to be suspected of being motivated more by ego than by mission in the first place. The great recent exemplars of mission- oriented politics in North Carolina have been Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt. There is a reason that they are both called North Carolina’s “ education governors.” In both of them, ego was secondary to their passion for improving education and jobs in North Carolina. They ran for office IN ORDER TO improve education. They did not run for office in order to fuel their egos; their egos were served by their dedication to improving education. It was that mission commitment that was the be all and end all of their ambition for public of-fice and NOT the reverse. It was their mission commitment that redeemed and trans-formed their quest for positions of power through which to achieve their missions. The Hebrew word for public official is Nasi, which is the same word the Bible uses for clouds. Using the same word for clouds and political leaders connotes the fact that, properly speaking, public officials are raised like clouds into the skies, elevated above all others for the sole purpose of conferring benefits on the public as a whole, just as the clouds benefit the land by shedding its rain on the crops. As a famous Rabbi said to two students whom he was seeking to persuade to take a com-munal position, “ You think it is honor that I offer you but it is not. It is the far wor-thier role of public service that I offer you, the opportunity to SERVE the public!” Not only are the motivations that characterize the for- profit sector corrosive of the public and nonprofit sectors, but there is a persuasive argument that they are also serious threats to the for- profit sector itself. As Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi
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Title | Ethics, self-interest, and the public good - Page 29 |
Full Text | 27 Joel L. Fleishman sufficient reason, an ethical reason, to hold public office, and that it is ALWAYS the mission commitment of a candidate that redeems whatever amount of ego motivates a candidate and transforms self- interest into public interest. Why is that so? Because it is only those candidates who are motivated by mission who will not so easily, so casually trim his or her sails with regard to the positions that are central to his or her mission. He or she will not so willingly sac-rifice the goals of the mission in order to attain the glory of office. Those who do sacrifice the goals of the mission in order to achieve election have to be suspected of being motivated more by ego than by mission in the first place. The great recent exemplars of mission- oriented politics in North Carolina have been Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt. There is a reason that they are both called North Carolina’s “ education governors.” In both of them, ego was secondary to their passion for improving education and jobs in North Carolina. They ran for office IN ORDER TO improve education. They did not run for office in order to fuel their egos; their egos were served by their dedication to improving education. It was that mission commitment that was the be all and end all of their ambition for public of-fice and NOT the reverse. It was their mission commitment that redeemed and trans-formed their quest for positions of power through which to achieve their missions. The Hebrew word for public official is Nasi, which is the same word the Bible uses for clouds. Using the same word for clouds and political leaders connotes the fact that, properly speaking, public officials are raised like clouds into the skies, elevated above all others for the sole purpose of conferring benefits on the public as a whole, just as the clouds benefit the land by shedding its rain on the crops. As a famous Rabbi said to two students whom he was seeking to persuade to take a com-munal position, “ You think it is honor that I offer you but it is not. It is the far wor-thier role of public service that I offer you, the opportunity to SERVE the public!” Not only are the motivations that characterize the for- profit sector corrosive of the public and nonprofit sectors, but there is a persuasive argument that they are also serious threats to the for- profit sector itself. As Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi |