I see you are proudly standing for living a life with high integrity and deep moral values. Pat yourself on the back today! Kudos to you and each person you know living the ethical life, because it is truly a quality of a forgotten age.

Unfortunately if you find yourself to be sitting, here’s a dictionary definition :

Simply put, being ethical is to be moral. Some may argue “Who decides what is good or what is bad?” Should we look up the religious texts? Is the answer with a famous spiritual leader? Shall we seek an expert and debate our moral values while millions seek help? It’s an important question, but the truth is not within a holy text or with a bestselling novelist or any external element, but it is within our consciousness.

Your mind suddenly thinks “Oh this is probably one of those boring self realization posts and it’s safe to just ignore it.” No, I’m nobody to take you on a path to self realization, but I can certainly point out what is unethical about the one’s who claim to do so.

We have constructed a society based entirely around success and financial gain. Does this mean each and everything we do MUST BE MONETIZED? Here’s an unpleasant picture I’m going to paint so we can all be on the same page.

Picture yourself seeking help – Help in any form. You wish to learn a new skill, learn about finance, become healthy, find a great diet plan, or simply wish to talk about your struggle in life. In our age where we are heavily dependent on technology, the first instinct is to “Google it”, and you see hundreds of “helpers” claiming the ability to have the perfect solution for you. There is no other help that can match theirs, and there is certainly nobody else who can offer a tailor-made plan for you. Moreover, it is all for FREE!

The human brain has a strange affinity to this 4 letter word and the moment you look at the bright red text “FREE” flashing on your screen, you dive right in. You feel you have hit the jackpot when you even gain access to another ‘free item’ the moment you enter your email address. It couldn’t get better than this, would it? Sweet Deal!

And then, in no time comes your reality check, like a towel dipped in cold water, smashing across your face for being so gullible! “Pay $X to view this content and unlock thousands of benefits!” Your wide eyes begin to frown, while your mind is making the exit plan to unsubscribe from the site completely. ” What was I thinking!?”, you say to yourself.

Is monetizing your guide to 6 pack abs a bad thing? Of course it isn’t. Our lives circle around the struggle for survival, which unfortunately requires money, loads of it! Go ahead and monetize your knowledge and hard work. Why shouldn’t you charge for a service you work so hard on and if it is the only way you can survive?

But …

DO NOT begin with the pretext of “helping for free” to soothe your conscience. Enticing a seeker of help with a FREE proposition only to disappoint later is just horrible. This is dishonest and unethical. Why does it have to be so hard to admit to wanting profits from your services? Is deceit the only starting point?

Teachers of spirituality often claim the importance of abandoning materialism and embracing a simple life, sometimes charge exorbitant fees only to attend a single seminar. Many would argue the costs associated with setting up lavish retreats for seminars, the preparations, food and salaries for the team involved can justify the exorbitant fees. Isn’t the foundation of spirituality a pledge to help others in suffering? Should another’s suffering be monetized? Some leaders even offer “help” online with a monthly subscription in order to receive a few newsletters, videos or blogs each month.

It is fair to be compensated for the expertise you possess and in no way this is an implication that one must live a poor life. But at what cost? In the process of writing this blog, I discovered the innumerable communities of people seeking help online, and some responses from fellow community members were only shallow ways of monetization from another’s dilemma.

“But, that’s just how the world works!”, you say?

I’m sorry, but I disagree. It may appear to be wishing for utopia, but it does not take massive amounts of work to help and give back. Most of us are trying to give back in whatever way we can, and that small effort goes a long way. However, if you are a capitalist, portray yourself as one without shame, because believe it or not, we all know it already. Honesty might just garner some lost respect.

If this post kindled a fire in your mind for even a moment and your heart and mind is pounding in tandem, please go out there and help someone, for FREE. No expectations, no monetary gains, no goodwill either, just UNCONDITIONAL help.

Want to guess what I’m giving out for FREE today?

Some forgotten ethics 🙂