Dynamics of Ethical Issues - Essay Example

Dynamics of Ethical Issues For many months now the Case Manager for a man who has a long history of marrying women has realised that he never bothers to divorce one woman before getting married to the next. Now very recently he has begun dating the Case Manager’s sister. Handling ethical issues of the employer forms a part of the regular duties of a Case Manager. Life and times have changed drastically. Consequently so have the dynamics of ethical issues. Marriage has always been considered a beautiful bonding of love. “Till death do us part”1 is the oath taken by those bound in Christian marriages. Hindu marriage rites bind the partners for seven lifetimes. Marriage has, from the very beginning, been equated to permanency and security – a bond which is not easily broken. Divorces were not really an accepted way of life. Infidelity has always been looked down upon and breaking up a marriage or interacting with multiple partners has always been condemned. Gradually with time society `progressed’ and divorce became an accepted fact. Infidelity is still not accepted but we have come to terms with the fact that marriage, a bond of love, can also go wrong. When that happens human nature seeks out a companion and finds love in another person. Security or rather complacency of marriage has now become a question mark. Faith, if at all, in a relationship, trust in one’s partner and emotional security has now become the order of the day. All relationships may or may not culminate in marriage. Marriages break up because of the constantly changing socio economic scenario. Economic empowerment of women has helped women to take their own decisions and live life with their head held high and on their own terms. Educated women who are able to sustain themselves are no longer ready to take mental and physical battering from their partner. One of the major reasons for women holding on to their marriage was the lack of their own financial security Domestic violence, infidelity, economic constraints, mental maladjustment, severe differences of opinion which are irrevocable in nature are all pertinent reasons for divorce in today’s society. Failure of any of the partners to fulfill the marital responsibilities may also lead to break up of a marriage and lead to a subsequent divorce. If a partner has ethical differences with the significant other then divorce becomes a viable option. Divorce, as an instrument of separation is a much more accepted one today and is far more accessible for almost every married individual. Breaking up a marriage is no longer a taboo. Divorces these days need not be messy. Mature partners who realise they are no longer compatible decide to call it a day and move on with their separate lives. The entire procedure of divorce becomes part of a mutual consent. Both partners deal with the situation calmly and part ways amicably. But even in this present situation does a man have any right to keep on marrying women and then moving on in life without bothering to divorce them? When a man and a woman get married dreams are woven in their mind with intricate emotions. They dream of togetherness, understanding, love, a life filled with happiness and security. When eventually the marriage turns sour the dreams get shattered, feelings are left numb and it is very difficult to move on in life without one’s chosen partner. Divorce, no matter how easy or messy, is always attached to incredible amount of emotional trauma. Separation without divorce is perhaps more traumatizing. Divorce is an irrevocable finality. Life can begin again for both incumbents. But separation is a never ending wait. The previous chapter in one’s life doesn’t end. So life cannot begin afresh. This man who has a long history of getting married without bothering to divorce the previous wife obviously lacks scruples as well as ethics. He merrily moves on in life without caring to take the time out to severe previous ties. He leaves his previous women dangling in a peculiar state. He obviously believes in marriage, perhaps because it gives him the license to use the woman to the fullest, but is not responsible enough to make a clean and clear break from the past relationships. Considering today’s social scene where divorce is an accepted instrument for separation, this man has absolutely no ethical reason for continuing the way he is. He is indulging in the sacred relationship of marriage without legally breaking off with his previous wife. This is polygamy. Only Islam allows this and actually advocates the marriage of a man to more than one wife2. Even then the first wife has to give her consent to the remarriage and the remarriage can take place only if the first wife is unable to fulfill her duties as per Islamic laws3. In truth this man has several wives whom he has not bothered to divorce. In this situation actually, all his other marriages except his first one are not valid. In a court of law unless a man divorces his first wife his second all other marriages are declared null and void. The first marriage has to end in a divorce or death of his wife. Only then can a man get married again. This man doesn’t even spare a thought for his earlier wives. Divorce entails splitting of assets, alimony for the wife, custody of children. This man simply leaves the women in a lurch and carries on with his marriages. He refuses to shoulder responsibility of the women who he marries when it suits his whim and fancy. He doesn’t think about the several children who may have been born out this wedlock. What about their future and their legal standing in society. Which one of these children from which marriage becomes his legal heir? If the marriages are declared null and void all children born out the marriages are rendered illegitimate. The entire series of marriages is completely unethical. But what happened to the Case Manager’s own ethics? He was aware of this history. But he hadn’t said a word to my employer till he struck home. He had decided not to meddle in the matters of his employer, not to go beyond his limits as an employee since it did not concern him in anyway. He was a silent witness to this man’s unethical behaviour. It is only when his sister’s life was at stake that his ethical senses have been awakened. As Case Manager it was his duty to make sure that this man’s ethical issues were also straightened out. It should now be his endeavour to see that one by one all the women should be given divorce. Social ethics demand that this man is dealt by the matrimonial law of the country. A criminal case of bigamy should be rapped on him and suitable compensation by way of alimony should be given to all the women he had married. In a way his crime is no less than that of a serial killer. The law should deal with him in the most severe manner. However, no court in the world can replace the lack of ethics in this man. He has played with the lives and hearts of so many women. He has shattered their very existence by living a dubious life with so many of them. His life is completely devoid of ethics. In the words of Aristotle, “Those who behave in this way are extremely crude types of humanity”4 References 1 - The Oath of Marriage – The Bible 2 & 3 – The Koran – The holy book of the Muslims 4 - (Pg 138, Ethics, Aristotle). Read More