The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Containing His Articles, Observations, Thoughts, Meanderings,
and some would say Wisdom (and some would say not).

The Three Most Important Personal Rules of Life

In my webpage, Pearls of Wisdom, I recount many of the lessons I have learned in my life in the form of rules to live by. Many of these rules were formulated to help me live a Moral, Ethical, and Virtuous Life, something which I vowed to do early in my adulthood. Early in my adult life, I encountered many situations, by personal involvement or observation of others, in which I was dismayed by my own words and the words and deeds of other people. This dismay led to my vow in the hope that it would allow me to Be the Better Person in my interactions with others. It took many years and many bitter experiences to formulate these rules and learn to live by them, but as I have often said, "True Wisdom Most Often Comes from Bitter Experience... Considered!" Upon doing so, I had much more satisfaction in my life, and I also believe that following these three rules helped significantly advance my professional career. The three most important Personal Rules of Life that I learned were:

• Do Not Lie, Misinform, or Conceal
• Be Prepared to Admit Your Mistakes, Listen to Others, and Change Your Mind
• How to be a Good Person

While I have previously written about these three rules in my Chirps and Articles, I thought it appropriate to highlight these rules so that others can learn from them and perhaps help them avoid my mistakes. I also hope that by following these rules, you will be able to lead a Moral, Ethical, and Virtuous Life.

Do Not Lie, Misinform, or Conceal

In my Article  “Lies and Beliefs”, I examine the different types of lies and the differences between beliefs and truths. Benjamin Disraeli once famously said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." However, there are actually four kinds of lies: mistakes, lies, damned lies, and statistics.

1. Mistakes are when you have said something that you believe to be true but later discover it was untrue. After discovering your mistake, you have a moral responsibility to correct the record for those you misinformed.
2. Lies make the world go around. They are told to protect the feelings of others or to prevent embarrassment to ourselves. They should only be told if no harm comes from them. Otherwise, they will become Damned Lies.
3. Damned Lies are told to gain an advantage for ourselves or to demonize, denigrate, or disparage another. They are despicable, and when they are discovered, the Damned Liar should be roundly condemned.
4. Statistics are covered in my Article "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave" and the article “Statistics and Polling”, and I will direct you to these articles for further thoughts on this subject.

“Mistakes”, “Lies”, and “Statistics” are part of life and, as such, are an acceptable part of life. However, telling “Damned Lies”, or “Misinforming” someone, or to “Conceal” the truth is not acceptable. If you do these things, then you will damage someone, and in the end, the truth will come out, and there will be a price to pay. And that price will be paid by the person who has told the “Damned Lies”, “Misinformed” someone, or “Concealed” the truth.

You should also remember one of my “Truisms”:

“You'll never get confused if you simply tell the truth. Then you don't have to remember what you have said, and you never forget what you have said. And you won't get in trouble for telling a lie if you have told the truth.”
  - Mark Dawson

Be Prepared to Admit Your Mistakes, Listen to Others, and Change Your Mind

Monday, September 17, 1787, was the last day of the Constitutional Convention. There was very much a concern that the Constitution would not be approved by the delegates, as there were many parts of the Constitution that many delegates disapproved of. Prior to the vote on the Constitution, Pennsylvania delegate Benjamin Franklin requested to give short remarks in support of the Constitution. He was too weak to actually give the remarks himself, so he had fellow Pennsylvanian James Wilson deliver the remarks. “Franklin's Speech to the Constitutional Convention” is considered a masterpiece of conciliation. After this speech was given, the members present voted to unanimously approve the Constitution. They also kept silent about their doubts and objections and worked to have the Constitution endorsed by the people, and they then turned their future thoughts & endeavors to the means of having it well administered, as Franklin suggested. The following is the speech as reported in Madison's notes on the Convention for Monday, September 17, 1787.

“Mr. President

I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others. Most men indeed as well as most sects in Religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them it is so far error. Steele a Protestant in a Dedication tells the Pope, that the only difference between our Churches in their opinions of the certainty of their doctrines is, the Church of Rome is infallible and the Church of England is never in the wrong. But though many private persons think almost as highly of their own infallibility as of that of their sect, few express it so naturally as a certain french lady, who in a dispute with her sister, said "I don't know how it happens, Sister but I meet with no body but myself, that's always in the right — Il n'y a que moi qui a tou jours raison."

In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other. I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected? It therefore astonishes me, Sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does; and I think it will astonish our enemies, who are waiting with confidence to hear that our councils are confounded like those of the Builders of Babel; and that our States are on the point of separation, only to meet hereafter for the purpose of cutting one anther's throats. Thus I consent, Sir, to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure, that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors, I sacrifice to the public good. I have never whispered a syllable of them abroad. Within these walls they were born, and here they shall die. If every one of us in returning to our Constituents were to report the objections he has had to it, and endeavor to gain partizans in support of them, we might prevent its being generally received, and thereby lose all the salutary effects & great advantages resulting naturally in our favor among foreign Nations as well as among ourselves, from our real or apparent unanimity. Much of the strength & efficiency of any Government in procuring and securing happiness to the people, depends, on opinion, on the general opinion of the goodness of the Government, as well as of the wisdom and integrity of its Governors. I hope therefore that for our own sakes as a part of the people, and for the sake of posterity, we shall act heartily and unanimously in recommending this Constitution (if approved by Congress & confirmed by the Conventions) wherever our influence may extend, and turn our future thoughts & endeavors to the means of having it well administered.

On the whole, Sir, I can not help expressing a wish that every member of the Convention who may still have objections to it, would with me, on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility, and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument.

When this speech was concluded, the members who were present voted to unanimously approve the Constitution. They also kept silent about their doubts and objections and worked to have the Constitution endorsed by the people, and then turned their future thoughts & endeavors to the means of having it well administered, as Franklin suggested.

After reading and rereading this speech for the first time as a young man, I realized that there were three pearls of wisdom within it. Three pearls of wisdom that I have endeavored to keep in mind throughout my life. They are in order of practice:

1. To doubt a little of my own infallibility.
2. To doubt my own judgment and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.
3. To be obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change my opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise.

We would all be better people and have a better society if we kept these pearls of wisdom in mind throughout our lives.

How to be a Good Person

Most Americans believe that they are a good and virtuous person and that they, therefore, make good moral and ethical decisions. However, this is not the proper order of things. To be a good person, you must first make good moral and ethical decisions and then act with virtue in your decision. However, making a good moral and ethical decision requires that you properly examine the morals and ethics of any situation in which you may become involved. Doing this requires that you first unflinchingly determine and examine the moral and ethical questions of the situation, determine the positive and negative consequences of the moral and ethical decision (keeping in mind The Law of Unintended Consequences), and then act with virtue on your decision.

Unflinchingly, determining and examining the moral and ethical questions requires a thorough determination of the core moral and ethical questions of the situation, as often, when you thoroughly examine the situation, you will discover some underlying moral and ethical concerns that you have not considered. After determining the core moral and ethical questions, you must have the fortitude to accept the facts and truths of the situation in reaching your conclusions. After reaching your conclusions, you must be willing to change your previous thoughts and feelings based on your conclusions. In this change of heart, you should remember the following words of wisdom:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise."
  - Benjamin Franklin

Virtue then requires that even in the face of harsh criticism, you have the courage to defend and uphold your conclusions.

With core moral and ethical questions, there are often no easy answers. Tough choices need to be made, and repercussions are to be expected. Dealing with these repercussions while remaining virtuous is what makes you a good person.