Your Integrity, or Your Fortune...

You've probably heard of Lance Armstrong. 

In 2015 Mr Armstrong, now 18 months on from his confession, sat down with the following baldy gentleman from the BBC for an interview. . . 

The Background

You've probably heard a bit about what Lance Armstrong did. Lance took some drugs, and won a bunch of races. He amassed a personal fortune, and raised half a million dollars for cancer research. He won this bunch of races at a time when doping was rife in the sport, and seems to have started doping as a response to dropping out of first place and being replaced by people who were doping. To survive in the race, and have any chance of winning, Lance seems to contend, he had to start doing it himself. That he doped is not to say he wasn't the best cyclist. 

The Big Question...

Lance talks about having a career, and how failing to get involved in a doping programme harmed your chances of having one. This is the same Lance Armstrong who amassed that $170m fortune, and raised all that cancer dosh. Now imagine that Lance DOESN'T dope, and winds up having a mediocre cycling career in the middle of the pack. Let's imagine, in this case, he amasses a tiny fortune, and raises some tiny pockets of dosh. It's a choice - a mediocre career + integrity versus lots of money + loss of integrity. So, here's the question, given the chance, do you want a) lots of money, or b) your 'integrity' (whatever that even is...).

What Has Value...

What do you get for keeping your integrity? What's the value of your integrity? What does it give you? Some minor satisfaction? Maybe someone will say about you "hey, you know that guy, he's got loooooads of integrity" and probably someone else will say "hey, let's talk about something else". 

The Choice...

Would you sell it? Would you sell this valueless abstract/totally negotiable non-commodity, or would you hold on to it? You can have $170m, or your integrity? If you're the baldy gentleman, apparently you'd (allegedly) choose the second option. If you're Lance Armstrong, you'd choose (as he did) the private jet...

So...
Are you a Lance, or a baldy interviewer guy?
It's just something to think about...