Is there profit in ethics? Should we care?

I read a business article recently which touted a moral stance but only because it would hurt the bottom line not to do so.  Another reader pointed out this flaw of character in a letter to the editor - that it wasn't moral principles that precipitated the decision but potential profit loss.  It made me take a hard look at myself.  Do I tow the line for morality because it's profitable?  

If I'm to be brutally honest, I can hear my arguments for taking a moral stance in various situations.  There is always a good reason, and the reason is never, 'Because it's the right thing to do.'  I've grown up justifying morality.  I think it started when at some point in my life it was uncool to be moral and I needed to justify my prudishness.  After a while it became habit - as if morality should ever need justification!  But having never grown out of the habit, I continued along that way of thinking until I read that letter to the editor.

Morality for the sake of gain might be a step in the right direction - but to stop there and not consider the prospect of morality for the sake of morality or morality for the sake of the greater good, we sell ourselves short.  Greatness comes when we do things not for our own gain, but for the gain of the world at large.

Should we care about profits?  If our aim is to grow our business, then, yes, we have to care.  If our aim is to uphold the highest principles then we don't need a second rate justification.

Thank you for reading. For more information on Raja Yoga philosophy see www.brahmakumaris.org.