Focus: Everyday ethics

It may come as a surprise that most of the people polled agreed that we do lie a lot, as it seems to be the easiest route out of messy situations. However, not too many people can tolerate cheating, more so when it comes to their life partners. Morality still remains more a question of one's conscience and has nothing to do with the changing times. Take a look at this week's debate to know what people have to say on the topic.

People tell lies very easily these days.

Yes, it is very easy to lie nowadays. I do not think people in the past had the courage to lie and probably they were more religious and moral. People in the past were raised to be moral and family played a role in instilling values and ethics in their children's lives.
- Meena Vachhani
Dubai

Yes, I think people lie more than before. Mostly it happens because they want to avoid certain circumstances. For example, students generally lie when they haven't finished an assignment or are running late for a class. There is always the "I got stuck in traffic" excuse or some silly explanation they come up with to avoid the teacher's anger.
- Chirag Sabhnani
Dubai

I think lying happens a lot these days because of the quality of life we are leading. People lie all the time if they are late for a meeting or something. Most of the time people lie about being stuck in traffic if they are late and it works because of the traffic situation. We lead a very fast-paced life and lying helps in getting certain things done.
- Hitendra Daherikar
Dubai

Yes, people tell lies very easily these days. It is believed that a person, while telling a lie, cannot look you straight in the eye. But, I believe that some people have become so good at lying that they do not feel nervous and can look straight into your eyes, while lying.
- Saima Dhani
Gulf News Reader's Club member
Sharjah

Bribing to get something done has become customary.

Of course, everyone is looking for a cut for doing something for others. No one does anything for free. Money has become very important. I think bribery is a very common thing and happens at all levels. It is out in the open when it is done at the lower levels, but it is done under the table if we are talking of bribery at higher levels. Bribing happens just about everywhere and in different ways..
- Prateek Merani
Dubai

I think it has become customary because people can benefit from it financially and socially. You get to make more contacts and meet people, in addition to the monetary gain. Nothing is for free these days and I have heard of so many cases and seen so many people do it just to get what they want. It is a way of life now.
- Mohammad Zeshan
Dubai

Generally I think this is true. If you need to get something done, you have to pay extra for it. There are so many expenses to take into consideration these days. People need money, the salaries are low and people are looking for more financial resources. I think one way to go about solving this problem is through raising employees' salaries, not according to what the companies think is right, but based on the employees' needs.
- Rajni Punjabi
Dubai

Globally yes, as scams by lawmakers are the order of the day. However, the magnitude differs from country to country and individual to individual. To some it is a hedge against socio-economic insecurity and some take bribes for filling the boss's coffers. Ample policing, stringent judicial measures and counselling of moral values will help kill this evil.
- Subhasis Mukherjee
Gulf News Reader's Club member
Dubai, Via email

Cheating in a relationship is tolerated more now.

No, I don't think people are more tolerant about cheating. Relationships are based on trust and once you break that, it is not easy to mend it. I do not think there is any good excuse for cheating in any relationship. Even if you are done and tired of one, you do not cheat but end it then and there. The fact that a person cheated on his or her partner will always remain there and it is really hard to win back the trust.
- Rani Jean
Sharjah

I think so. People now are so used to having relationships and cheating in them is common. Couples are busy most of the time; they do not get to spend much time together, so they end up cheating on each other. It has become so common that some people brush it off as normal. .
- Arith Sudhakaran
Dubai

I do not think cheating should be tolerated but it is, sometimes. I think it always depends on the situation and circumstances facing people. For some, it is impossible to get out of the relationship even when you know that your partner has cheated on you. Some just learn to live with it. I do not think that this should be the case though, because once you forgive and forget, some would think that they could take you for granted.
- Leena Kalwani
Dubai

I personally cannot tolerate cheating in any sort of relationship. Once a cheater, always a cheater, that's what I think. Unfortunately, if a man cheats on his wife, it is more tolerable. However, when a woman cheats, it is always a big unforgivable mistake. This is the understanding because that's what society or what the culture dictates. Even as children, there is always a difference in the way girls and boys are treated.
- Bushra Mohammad
Sharjah

Morality is considered a luxury that people cannot afford.

No, I don't think so. I still believe that there are a few people out there who are ethical and moral. Some people still have a conscience. I think though that if people lie and cheat, it is generally because they want to escape failure. Living has turned into a race and everybody wants to be successful and many people think that to do so, they have to go about it the wrong way. The cost of living has become really high, so I think people are trying everything to survive.
- Rishi Mugumdar
Dubai

Morality or ethical behaviour is a fundamental that, in the long term, people ignore at their peril. Without morality in personal, business, political and social relationships, there can be no trust and therefore no real basis on which these relationships can develop. Even if the unethical perceive personal gain from their behaviour in the short term, the result is often meltdown.
- L. A. Graham
Dubai, Via email

No, not really. I think nowadays we have more educated people who know what is right and what is not. I think families also play a role in teaching their children what is right and what is not. As a parent I make sure that my children know right from wrong.
- Humara Emtiaz
Dubai

The human perception of values of life has gradually taken a downward turn over time. As Bertrand Russell put it: "The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forgo ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with pleasures of others." Our morality today is confined to speeches and never reflected in our practical life.
- K.N. Vasudevan
Sharjah