Lies and deceits abound when money is the bottom-line of any culture. Currently without hesitation it may be said that unfortunately money is the bottom-line of every culture. The corporate culture is all about money and greed. A person is recruited, retained, and promoted on the basis of the amount of money one can make. The atrocious amount of money given to executives as bonuses for the money they make is truly appalling. Enron, world’s seventh biggest corporation folded due to “cooking” (falsifying) account books. The economic melt-down and slowdown affecting the entire world economy started in the US with unscrupulous and dishonest financial managers indulging in irresponsible lending or predatory and deceptive financial practices.

            The banking industry in the US, the bedrock of society, was shaken to its foundation in the wake of scandals and questionable financial practices to increase their profit margin. The housing industry did no better than the banking industry. Recently Reuters (London/New York, March 15, 2012) published a report of a withering resignation letter of a Goldman Sacks Bank executive appearing in New York Times that contained an unprecedented assault on bank executives who consider their customers to be “muppets” (stupid). He also talked about the “rip-off culture” of bankers. The multi-national oil corporations made record windfall profits in the worst situation of sky-rocketing petrol prices crushing the ordinary struggling persons trying to make both ends meet.

            In the wake of all these financial disasters those who really suffered were and still suffering are ordinary, honest, hardworking, decent human beings who worked hard to save for their retirement or old age. I know this because I myself was affected by this. A few crooks got away with their loot. A government supposedly elected by people allowed it to happen. This tells us that the economic well-being of humanity is in grave danger. Preoccupation with making money by hook or by crook seems to be in the mind of almost everyone at every waking moment of the day. Recently I had an encounter with a young man who wanted to sell me a financial policy that according to him was very attractive and would benefit me very much. When I told him that I did not need one, he pleaded with me to take it in order to help him.

            Aggressive marketing strategies and advertisements so prevalent in the United States are spreading across India with the ubiquitous signboards, television sets, and the internet with, perhaps, added variety of deceptive native ingenuity. The irrepressible, perfidious telemarketers who can take away a few minutes of rest and relaxation that we have by intruding through our phones at their will are inconsiderate and outright nuisance. If we express our displeasure, they make us feel guilty telling us that they also need a job. A telemarketer in the US told me that he also needed to live. Of course he needs to. But don’t we have enough real jobs for which persons are not applying? An increasing number of people in the world seem to want easy money without hard work. They feel they are entitled to it as they do not have exemplary role models and persons of impeccable integrity in public life. The culture of lie also generates a hedonistic, amoral culture where everything goes.