Money Changes Everything

I recently was talking with my friends about corruption in the police force especially in New York, which led me to bring up the fact that corruption permeates virtually all levels of our society. I asked my friends if they were in the same situation, would they have the morals to do the right thing every time; and also think about every other person in the world in that same situation. As I brought up the point that everyday people are faced with moral decisions, my friend interjected that money changed everything. I couldn’t agree more.
Every individual is unique, and has a unique background. These varying situations will play a large role in determining how an individual will act under certain circumstances. Morality is only part of the issue. If someone is more fortunate that another, they will likely pursue their interests rather than pursue the most economic route. In addition to this, one would think someone that is more fortunate would tend to act morally in situations dealing with money.
Money has the power to change the way people think. People in America consume goods at an exorbitant rate. We purchase things off the shelf without realizing that each thing we buy has a story behind it. These stories can now be read with new online guides that rate products overall detrimental effects to people the environment and society as a whole. As consumers we all partake in the destruction of the environment without directly realizing the consequences of our purchases. With all the information that we have today a drastic change in the production chains of goods can be made for the benefit of everyone involved. This change will come from OUR money.
Daniel Goleman put it very blatantly that we vote with our money for companies as we vote for politicians with our ballots. We have the power to choose to support the destruction of our ecosystems, or support the companies that are taking reasonable steps to minimize pollution and reverse the terrible destruction that has taken place.
These companies are in the position that to act moral would not be in their economic interest; and it is in our economic interest that put these companies in the position to act normal. We vote for companies by buying their products. All the information to purchase environmental friendly goods is out there, people just need to become aware of it. The only way that this change will take place is to spread the word. The conversation that I had with my friends ended with me going on a rant about buying clean products and how amazing it is that we can now tell what we are buying. To my surprise, my two friends thought it was a good idea and didn’t make fun of me.