In the celebrity gossip section of The San Jose Mercury News this morning I found this bit of gossip right next to a detailed account of Obama’s bowling skills:

CBS anchor Katie Couric was to read her 12-year-old daughter’s favorite poem at a literary event at Avery Fisher Hall in Manhattan this week. But first she had a little confession to make. “Most people don’t know this, but I am a published poet. My first poem was published in the St. James Grammar School Gazette. It was a poem about snow. I’ve never told anyone that I plagiarized that poem. It was really written by Penny Eastman. After 45 years of keeping that secret, I am relieved to finally get it off my chest.” San Jose Mercury News

Just think about this for a second — Ms. Couric has been carrying the burden of her deception for 45 years–45 YEARS. I bet this is not some oops and by the way kind of thing for her. She remembers the situation vividly. She not only knows it was about snow but also that it was really written by Penny Eastman. How many of your assignments from grammer school do you remember? How many of the sources you read for those assignments do you remember?

The phenomenon of being able to vividly recall ethical transgressions is quite common. When teaching ethics we ask the students to describe an ethically sensitive situation they have encountered in their past. Students can recall incidents from years ago as if they happened yesterday because the incidents still bother them. Their anxiety keeps it fresh in their minds.

One of the fundamental reasons to avoid lying is because it minimizes our psychic burdens. Forget the effects on other people for the moment. Every ethical transgression becomes part of the story we tell ourselves. We may try to rationalize or repress, but we always know the truth. We know we did something we should not have done.

Given proper reflection, past mistakes can have powerful learning value. When our students discuss and analyze their past situations, they often become a powerful motivation not to not fall prey to the same temptations again. Take a lesson from Katie, and consider the value of a clean conscious next time you are tempted to lie.

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Tags: ethics, Clint Korver, Ethics for the Real World, Katie Couric, plagerism, lying