“He who holds the ladder is as guilty as the thief” (German proverb). Be the moral conscience against corrupt and unethical businesspersons, politicians, and especially their enablers.
As I dug deeper into the origins of the German proverb “Wer die Leiter hält, ist so schuldig wie der Dieb” “He who holds the ladder is as guilty as the thief,” I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. The more I uncovered about its meaning and implications, the more I realized how relevant it is to our current political and social climate.
“What is legal does not mean it is ethical. Many business practices are legal but revealed to be unethical or immoral.” ~ Robren
At its core, this proverb suggests that those who assist in a crime are just as guilty as the perpetrator. This may seem like a straightforward concept, but it has far-reaching implications that go beyond just the act of committing a crime.
Consider, for example,the role of enablers in the political arena. We’ve seen countless examples of politicians who have enabled their colleagues to engage incorrupt or unethical behavior. These enablers may not be directly committing the crimes themselves, but they are complicit in allowing them to happen.
And yet, we often overlook the role of enablers in our rush to condemn those who have actually committed crimes. We focus all our attention on the thief, while ignoring the person holding the ladder.
But here’s the thing: enablers are just as responsible for the harm caused by a crime as the perpetrator. They may not have physically committed the act, but they played a critical role in making it possible. And until we start holding enablers accountable for their actions, we’ll never truly be able to address the root causes of corruption and crime in our society.
The German proverb “He who holds the ladder is as good as the thief” is a powerful reminder ofour collective responsibility to hold each other accountable. It’snot enough to simply condemnthe people who commit crimes; we need to take a hard look at the systems and structures that enable those crimes to happen in the first place. As a freelance investigative journalist, it’s my duty to shine a light on these issues andhold those in power accountable. But it’s also the responsibility of every citizen to demand transparency and accountability from our elected officials and institutions.
We can’tafford to look the other way when it comes to corruption and crime. We must be vigilant and proactive in rooting out the enablers who make these actions possible. Only then can we begin to build a more just and equitable society for all.
@SPIRI. Ethical Entrepreneurship.
#RobrenReview: 9 | 10 Research by: Robren Published on: 8 April 2023.
“He who holds the ladder is as guilty as the thief” (German proverb). Be the moral conscience against corrupt and unethical businesspersons, politicians, and especially their enablers.