I received my letter yesterday–the one from the Secretary of Veteran Affairs telling me "information identifiable with me was potentially exposed to others." This information included names, Social Security numbers, date of birth, and who knows what else. Considering the size of the folder that was handed to me when I left active military duty, I suspect there actually was a lot more information compromised than the government currently is willing to admit. It probably is a little overkill for me, though. If all you want is my date of birth and Social, you don't need to devise a sophisticated plot–just raid my locker when I am taking a shower at the Y. My driver's license has that information plainly displayed on it.

ChoicePoint, MasterCard, your local bank, the Veterans Administration–whatever, wherever–personal data constantly is being stolen and perhaps misused. We tend to treat this as a problem of the information age. Ubiquitous computers, the Internet, global corporate networks, lax computer security, and gigabytes of data "out there" on each and every one of us supposedly have created an environment in which identity theft and electronic fraud are fostered. I contend the information age has nothing to do with the problem. The real problem is Western society has degenerated into a community where individuals and corporations will go to any means to ensure they come out on top. Greed has become the primary motivation for the 21st century worker. Let's define greed as the desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves. Greed or avarice is not a new phenomenon–it was identified by the Roman Catholics as one of the seven deadly sins about seven centuries ago–yet it has become the defining quality of the post-modern society. The reality of a zero-sum economy is the most fortunate spend an inordinate amount of time and effort to ensure the less fortunate stay that way. There are now about 2.8 billion people who live on less than two dollars a day–and that in a world population of about 6.5 billion. Our problems go beyond greed, though. It is an entire mindset that compels people to get ahead at any cost.

The university I attended as an undergraduate had an honor system. That honor system was based upon the premise a "gentleman" does not lie, cheat, or steal. We routinely were given unproctored tests or even take-home exams with instructions such as: "Use only an hour to take the exam, and use no additional material for assistance." There were no locks on dormitory rooms. You could leave money sitting on your desk with the assurance it would be there weeks later. Lying was unthinkable. There were lots of side benefits, e.g., merchants would accept your out-of-state check with only your student ID as assurance. The system worked. It worked because we honestly and truly believed being honorable was a desirable quality. The concept of cheating on an exam to gain an unfair advantage over other students was totally unthinkable. The honor system itself was entirely student run.