What’s up with people taking jobs and then deciding that they should be exempt from doing a portion of what they were hired to do? Can’t we just go back to the good ole days when Mr. Spock provided clear guidance regarding behavior?
What if Mr. Spock taught ethics?
In The Wrath of Khan – Mr Spock (played by the late Leonard Nimoy) spoke the memorable line: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.
I can’t begin to tell you how many times my mentor – David Whitener – used that line when making a business decision that was not always appreciated by all concerned.
In the film Spock sacrifices himself for the benefit of the ship and his co-workers so they can escape imminent danger. Spock dies (but of course lives again in a future movie)…sometimes movies don’t truly mimic life.
The question for me though is an interesting ethical one. Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one? In society today which applies to business as well…it would seem that our sensitivities (the needs of the one) are more important and garner more attention than the needs of the many.
What about Kim Davis – Needs of the many or the needs of the one?
Embattled Kentucky clerk Kim Davis cited her Christian faith and religious freedom when she defied a series of court orders and refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Sending her to jail for failure to do her job in issuing the licenses, the court agreed with Spock – the needs of the many (in this case gay couples seeking marriage licenses) outweighed the needs of the one – Kim Davis standing on her religious conviction.
Kim Davis’ primary argument that her religious faith should exclude her from licensing a gay marriage (the need of the one). James Esseks, director of the ACLU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Project, said “Issuing marriage licenses doesn’t mean she approves of those marriages, it just means she’s doing the job she was elected to do.”
But Kim’s not the only one that today feels that Spock was wrong.
I shouldn’t have to do that part of my job!
Seems like we’re now finding that others are finding the needs of the one trump (not to be political here) the needs of the many.
Charee Stanley, A Muslim flight attendant said the Atlanta-based airline ExpressJet, filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last week, saying she wants to do her job without serving alcohol, as she was doing before her suspension.
According to a USAToday report:
Stanley, 40, began working for ExpressJet nearly three years ago. She later converted to Islam and only learned earlier this year that her faith prohibits her both from serving alcohol and consuming it. She approached a supervisor on June 1, Masri said, and was told to work out an arrangement with other flight attendants.
“We know that this arrangement has worked beautifully and without incident and that it hasn’t caused any undue burden on the airline,” Masri said.
But she said a co-worker filed a complaint on Aug. 2, saying Stanley was not fulfilling her duties. The complaint, which Masri characterized as “Islamophobic,” also said Stanley had a book with “foreign writings” and wore a head scarf.
On Aug. 25, the airline told Stanley it was revoking its religious accommodation and placing her on administrative leave.
I’m baffled…but maybe its just me…?
So you start a job being fully able to perform the job. Then you have a religious change and the job you performed is in conflict with your new found religious beliefs. THEN QUIT THE JOB!
Cat Stevens was a prolific, popular and quite successful singer songwriter in the ’70’s. He, too, converted to Islam. In his interpretation he was unable to play instruments so he QUIT. He dropped away from the music scene and devoted his life to his beliefs. Interestingly enough, he has since reconciled his music and the revenue and good that comes therefrom and now is performing again.
Point being, however, if you have a belief that you can’t do a part of your job – FIND ANOTHER JOB!
Some feel that Spock had it backward!
Apparently today the words of the movie should read: The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many, if the needs of the one are founding in personal religious belief.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
