Another Fine Mess

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the Pope’s famous Humanae Vitae, in which all forms of artificial birth control were prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church. I, for one, believe that because only God can create life from non-life, that only he has the right to terminate it.

And when does life begin? At conception, of course. This is obvious because only when two lives come together can another be created, and even that’s a miracle. That said, not all forms of artificial birth control terminate life. Instead, they only prevent a new life from being started in the first place.

There’s a certain hypocrisy, however, about the Pope’s remarks. This was captured beautifully by the then Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz, who, incidentally, had to resign for his comments. (So much for the 1st Amendment.) He said, “He-a no play-a the game, make-a no the rules.” I still chuckle when I think of that, and now that I live in Italy, I’m amused even more because I hear so many English words pronounced as if they ended in “a.”

We all  know that doctors are more likely to listen to doctors, teachers to teachers, and mechanics to mechanics. But when a celibate tries to tell us how we should conduct ourselves behind the bedroom door, that’s taking matters a bit too far. Truth, whatever it is, ought to come from a credible source. In matters pertaining to procreation, it should be promulgated, at the very least, by someone who is married; not by a person who doesn’t even approve of it among his peers.

Organizations are full of hypocrites, too. How often have you been obligated to work a shift schedule that was written by someone who only ever worked Monday to Friday, from 8 to 5 and took an hour for lunch? When was the last time you saw the division manager assembling something in your shop after telling you that greater productivity was needed? And why is it that when cost-cutting becomes a necessity, those at the bottom of the food chain are laid off first while the CEO and the Board still fly first class?

Talk is cheap. Anyone can say what he or she thinks ought to be done, as long as someone else has to do it. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: You get the behavior you reinforce, and that goes for what others are allowed to do, too. If you want people in your organization to work shifts, then at least have a shift-worker write the schedule. If you want greater productivity, then by jove, go down to the shop or assembly line and show people how they can improve. And if the company needs to cut costs, then start by paring the fat from the top and put everyone in economy class.

The way to combat hypocrisy is to demand of yourself those things that you demand of others. You can’t have one without the other.

Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
Work Psychologist