Gandhi’s Seven Deadly Sins
By Abbygayle M. Estrella
The abrupt and inhumane demise of Baby Yue Yue caused uproar among the netizens
worldwide. Personally, I didn‟t watch the video because I was too afraid to witness such
abominable cruelty. Like many others, I wonder what had happened to the Chinese‟s morals;
those passersby committed the sin of omission. Come to think of it, bystanders in the Philippines,
though stealing footages and uploading them, would still and immediately call or initiate help.
Indeed, we, at some extent in our lives, are guilty of wrongdoings as evidenced by the
commitment of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholicism – greed, jealousy, anger, sloth, lust,
gluttony, and pride. But Mahatma Gandhi also has his own version of the seven which
encompasses the social and political conditions of the world.
For me, Gandhi‟s “seven” are also worth remembering especially for business students
because the corporate world is a concrete jungle of capitalists. In order to subsist longer than the
others, some trespass the borders of business ethics. Sooner or later, we, seniors, will venture inside
and the only way to survive is not merely on the theories but our perception of right and wrong.
ææææææ
Wealth without Work. You get something out from nothing, like enjoying a fruit without hard
labor. I wondered if such is also the same case in making arbitrage – sitting down in front of the monitor
while making money as the bid and ask prices danced to the music of supply and demand. Concerned
with the maximization of wealth, the world of finance has its own intricacies but it should consistently
adhere to solving „the ethical dilemma‟. Aside from being risk averse or takers, we should be moralists as
well.
Pleasure without Conscience. Sometimes we choose self-gratification over other‟s
welfare, just like when a higher authority tapped us to be an officer/project head of an
event/group. We would immediately think of the color it would bring to our résumés rather than
the opportunity of inflicting change and making the best out of that endeavor. This „sin‟ speaks
for leaders and their real intentions in assuming their positions. Again, the „party pooper‟ shifts
to the political parties. Do you?
Knowledge without Character. The balance between the mind and the heart is difficult to
attain. There‟s my constant fear that with the tons of concepts and principles I‟ve learned, I might
actually forget who I really am. Though values can‟t be taught, they should be promoted in
educational institutions as supplement of our academic undertakings; aside from memorizing laws,
formulas, or the four P‟s of Marketing, we should still remember and enliven the three C‟s of UST.
Commerce without Morality. There‟s a point in time when business was conducted on its
crudest, but also in its most honest methodology. Until people learned to take advantage over others,
these malicious business practices have been rampant –from fraudulent advertising, misallocation of
funds, manipulation of accounting books, etc. Business may not worship any religion but most of the
people involved here do and despite our differences in religious belief, the same ethics prevails.
Science without Humanity. Smart phones, botox, medicines, and the likes –science and
technology has indeed changed our way of life. But what is the real advancement of human life?
Can scientists alleviate poverty, make peace among nations, and reduce crime rates?
Entertainment is constantly improving, thanks to the many gadgets made available but with the
recurring ill conditions in the world, our civilization is still the same as before, only techier.
Religion without Sacrifice. Changing one‟s religion for the person you love is indeed a
sacrifice; however, putting our prayers into actions is a different story. After dedicating an hour
for God, I suppose people would resume back to the spectrum of being either a sinner or saint.
It‟s not for us to judge people but at least we should be aware of the degree of religious sincerity
that they are upholding in their actions. Actions speak louder than words, after all.
Politics without Principle. Politicians are the frequent targets of critics and columnists
like me. They‟ve busied themselves in improving their public images instead of creating and
implementing laws that will benefit their people. Besides, politics is an art and its beauty
depends on the technique [the principle] on how the person in authority handles it. Beauty is in
the eyes of the beholder though, and we, the campus journalists, are watching.
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This column was originally published on The Commerce Journal Magazine Vol. 55 No. 1 (February 2012)
of the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas – College of Commerce and Business
Administration. The author is the former Managing Editor of The Commerce Journal last May 2011March 2012.