A man’s level of power and success is often tied with what he is capable of accomplishing in his life.  A “powerful” man may have the talent for persuasion or influence.  A “successful” man may have the historical reputation for production and efficiency.  The problem is that both power and success are a house of cards that could fall at any moment, and not only destroy you, but potentially the people around you as well.

Zig Ziglar once said, “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.”  Or to add to the house of cards analogy, success is a glass house, and the world has a fistful of rocks!  We could spend all of our days focused only on our scaling the corporate ladder, our title, or how much money we have in the bank, but it only takes one mistake, one hiccup…and we lose it all.

The “power” stereotype may bring a particular politician to mind, a Wall Street CEO, or even a football coach.  The images of these individuals are often paralleled with a god-like figure, someone who could get whatever they want, whenever they want it.  They influence people, institutions, and programs the way they see fit.  The definition of power is simply, “The ability to do something or act in a particular way.” The only power these leaders truly have is the ability to act.  The power to make a decision, then act on it.  A power that all of us have.  The power we allow each other to possess.

The glue that holds our perceived level of success and power together is just basic morality.  It is what keeps that house of cards from falling, and what keeps us in the good graces of society.

Morality is really only a question:  Do my actions negatively affect others?

Last Saturday, as the hoard of Penn State students filled University Park’s Beaver Stadium, there was an aura of confliction.  The days prior had exposed former Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky as an alledged pedophile, and although the man hadn’t coached with the team in over a decade, the scandal was destined to affect this year’s team.

The scandal may have started with Sandusky, but the checks and balances we refer to as “conscience” or “morality” were never put into practice.  There was the graduate assistant Mike McQueary, Coach Joe Paterno, and Athletic Director Tim Curley.  There was the campus police, and the man who oversees the campus police, Gary Schultz.  All of these people were aware, and all of them chose to do nothing.  Sandusky may be the transgressor, but this self-muted group’s condonation and cover-up of his behavior is equally to blame.

The clear issue here is that individuals within the Penn State football program value the establishment over an abused child.  They value the millions generated during the course of a season over the trauma of a raped 10-year-old boy.  They value their tradition over their honor.

Then there is former Head Coach Joe Paterno, an icon of Penn State football.  His firing following the initial exposure of this scandal outraged many Penn State students, and led several of them to riot in the streets.  Some of these same students showed up for this game with their “Joe Knows Football” t-shirts on, in support of the ousted coach, and for this, I think they are missing the point.

The point is that it doesn’t matter who the person, or the legacy at stake,  our success and/or power should never outweigh our morality, and the establishment is never greater than the welfare of any individual. As a man considered an icon, as a leader, it was Paterno’s failure to act, or lack of morality, that led to his dismissal, notwithstanding his past accomplishments.

Mark Twain once wrote, “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”  We believed that both levels of courage existed within the Penn State football program, personified by their iconic head coach.  But this quote has held true in this scandal, and has subsequently cost a football hero his job…and rightfully so.