Tell no lies

# Chapter 274

Bribes and income reporting and morality. This is huge dilemma for many International workers living overseas and when their culture really rubs against the local culture. This is generally very black and white kind of an issue when you are living in the USA. But when you are living in the rest of the world, these things are far more elastic and stretchable in local cultures and norms. If you live in a country where law rules, then you can afford to be back and white about these things, but if you live in a marginally law-abiding country, then your approach may have to intentionally have some loopholes in it.

First loophole, if an official person demands I pay something, then I pay it. I first learned this one in Russia. Every policeman that stopped my YAZ, made up some infraction, Every. Single. Time. For all the years I lived there. I could make you laugh for hours with some of the infractions I paid fines for over the years. Other missionaries felt like these were bribes and they would sit on the roadside for hours and hours because of their resistance to paying these “fines”. That they weren’t legit wasn’t in question. Heck even the police can’t keep a straight face when fining you for “muddy chassis” in a country where your chassis is muddy all the time. But as my policeman buddy told me, when you haven’t been paid your wages in two years, this is the only way to feed your family. I told no lies and I refuse to spend my time trying to make them tell the truth.