Compartmentalizing

Most of us think of ourselves as decent people, governed by conscience in our daily affairs.

In fact we have a little wall of self-protection, which allows us do the "right thing" most of the time, UNTIL we feel wronged or until we see we can get by with something no one will notice or care about.

My close friend won't allow herself to surf the web looking for a new job while still at her current one. She says it's unethical. But she will claim to be the age of a "senior" at the local movie theatre--she's actually 6 years shy of 65--to save $3 on admission. She even fought with the ticket seller, dramatizing resentment at being told she looked younger, feigning insult to injury.

This is compartmentalizing. It's what is known as situational ethics. Perhaps there's room here to draw a larger vision, a bigger picture of what makes for true character. If we are inconsistent about where we draw the line on character, do we need to rethink those lines to get to heaven? And most importantly, if we define heaven as something peaceful to be attained here on earth, is there any way to get these little perpetrations clearly front and center and corrected to achieve a certain life force that's truly empowering?

I conclude the universe is fair. The simple white lie has a cost to each of us. My friend is not poor, but she is obsessed about money, about saving where she can, like many of us. But what will this crazy lie cost her? At least we know this much. I was there and I noticed. Her character status was reduced in my eyes. Is this a cost to her? Of course. Compartmentalizing is our individual way of prevaricating with the truth, of selling out a precious part of ourselves for nothing worthwhile.

Compartmentalizing got Bill Clinton in big trouble. Where is our version of self-righteous self-interest tripping us up?