Erosion of Integrity in a Distrustful Society
The author believes that in modern society, prevailing mistrust destroys the foundation of honesty in interpersonal relationships. In his view, as suspicion grows and people begin to see one another not as equals or friends but as potential deceivers, honest individuals find themselves in an awkward position. In such an environment, even those with a conscience are forced to compromise – under the pressure of circumstances and the rigid demands of the system, for instance, when the line between true truth and falsehood is blurred, honest people are compelled to resort to deception in order not to fall behind generally accepted norms.For example, in one instance the author describes a situation with tax inspectors, where a person declaring his income is forced, due to inflated assessments, to "become a thief":"A person goes to the tax office and says, 'I have an income of one million,' while the tax inspector writes that his income is three million. Some declare only a third of their income, and thus tax inspectors label the deceivers and everyone else alike. But if a person with a conscience comes to you, then by taxing him at three times the proper rate, you force him to become a thief. In other words, instead of even slightly improving the general state of affairs, you do just the opposite" (source: link txt).Thus, systemic mistrust, accepted as the norm, erases the boundaries between honesty and deception. If sincerity is not valued in society and even genuine words of truth go unrecognized due to the pervasive climate of mistrust, then people with a conscience are forced to adapt to such a system, ultimately leading to a decrease in the number of honest individuals overall.Supporting citation(s):"A person goes to the tax office and says, 'I have an income of one million,' while the tax inspector writes that his income is three million. Some declare only a third of their income, and thus tax inspectors label the deceivers and everyone else alike. But if a person with a conscience comes to you, then by taxing him at three times the proper rate, you force him to become a thief. In other words, instead of even slightly improving the general state of affairs, you do just the opposite" (source: link txt)."The fact is that in our time, the feeling of mistrust between people is developing at an enormous pace. It is a true scourge, an incurable trauma. It is, in essence, the scourge of our lives. Living next to someone like me without amicable trust, seeing the other as an adversary who seemingly intends nothing but harm, is an utterly inhuman condition. Even more so, it is not godlike. And even in spiritual circles, among the ministers of the Church, this absence of mutual trust is just as prevalent, if not even more so" (source: link txt).