Re-Post (1/29/12): Don't Set Hair On Fire

This morning I listened to a speaker share a story of an incident that occurred when he and his brother found a cigarette lighter when they were young boys.  He noticed a long strand of hair on a nearby girl and decided he would light it on fire, watch it burn a little, and then snuff it out.  He remarked that the girl must have put on a whole lot of hairspray that day because as soon as he lit the one hair on fire, the entire back of her hair lit up in flames.  The little boy stood frozen in shock at what happened, while his brother quickly pounded the girl's head in an effort to put out the fire.
This speaker related that childhood experience to how we sometimes knowingly make poor moral choices in life, thinking that we can somehow control the situation and snuff it out at any time of our choosing.  But more often what happens is that the situation gets out of control and blows up in our faces.  He then urged the audience to be wary of playing with "fire".
I wonder how often this type of thinking is what goes through the minds of business people - or any people for that matter - when facing ethical dilemmas.  Perhaps they think the choice is a small thing, that they can keep the situation under control, able to put an stop to it at any moment, and in the end no one will be hurt.  But as history often shows us, before you know it, the flames flare up and the situation has taken a terrible turn for the worse.
Moral of the story:  Be wary of lighting someone's hair on fire (metaphorically speaking, of course - literally speaking, as well).