The ethical Path

Another GMAT essay.. 

When you are faced with a decision, often you face choices where you are not sure which one of them is lesser evil. You stand at a crossroads of following your conscience and being ethical or being dishonest for personal gains and treading the path which you know is wrong.

I was faced with such a situation during the inter college table tennis championship where I captained the team to the championship victory. The championship however was achieved only making a tough decision that challenged my ethics.

Our team had reached the quarter- finals and we needed to win the next match by a huge margin to be able to face the weaker team in the semi-finals. However the player who had to play the match got injured and being captain, I had to choose the player to play the match. The first thing that crossed mind was to play myself or choose one of the players close to me. It would have made me look good as well improved my chances of making to the State level table tennis team. However I decided that this would be ethically wrong. The interest of the team was before my self interest and I had to set examples for others and our team had better players who could help us win with a greater margin.  Finally after brainstorming and discussions with the whole team, I chose the best player in the team. As expected our team won by a huge margin. There were a lot of positives that I achieved by taking the righteous path. My team’s confidence in me saw a drastic jump and we went on to become the champions. Though not selected for the state team, I was made captain of the next tournament as well.

My one decision could have affected the entire team’s reputation. Such situations make you realize the importance of including the team in making important decisions. I understood that important decisions should always be made using the consent of everyone who is being affected by it. Considering everyone’s opinion helped me reach a conclusion and take a decisive action. With different minds working on the same problem, there was a possibility that the team might have chosen me. In such a case I would have played the game with confidence of the team backing me without facing the ethical dilemma.

That day, I learned important lessons of life and I am proud of the decision I made whose consequences I can still experience. Even today my professors and my team members commend me for my decision and have trust in me. Personally I learned that being dishonest might bring to you short term gains; it is the ethical path which keeps you in the lead in the long run. A difficult ethical path leads to freedom. The guilt of a wrong choice can imprison you for your whole life, I chose to be free.