if i were a rich man
tevye
the news headlines are abound involving accusation of adultery involving two of the wealthiest individuals on the planet. with the accusations, there have also been denials. who is telling the truth? does it matter?
the wall street journal reports that mr. elon musk has an affair with mr. sergey brin’s wife ms. nicole shanahan. mr. musk has denied the adultery allegations. dailymail.com with that said, we know that someone is lying and someone may or may not have committed adultery.
accusations of relationships is not uncommon. the movie “when harry met sally” famously brought forward the notion that “men and women cannot be friends” as men likely have a desire to take these type of relationships further. most people make this assumption when they see people together. in my second or third year of law school, my study partner was an attractive female. when our partnership was established, she already had a relationship with a partner. her fiance was successful partner at a boutique law firm. she and i spent considerable time together in school’s the cafeteria, library and other study areas. there were a number of times when i was congratulated for being involved with her. people believed that the two of us were in a relationship. i was surprised. as such, appearances can be deceiving.
with the musk/brim matter, adultery accusations are not to be taken lightly. mr. brim and ms. shanahan have a young daughter. while freedom of the press allows the publication of dubious materials, the wall street journal must take into consideration the daughter.
the journal’s reporting, if true, may end up causing discord with the brin’s daughter. she will inevitably ride an emotional roller coaster with respect to the allegations. was her mother the cause of her family disintegrating? likewise, even if the allegation is untrue, she will ride an emotional roller coaster. the accusation and its publication will have her wondering if it is true. people will approach her concerning it. ironically, she could use her father’s companies search engine, “google,” to find out about it. she now will be seen by public in a different light. she was an innocent with no involvement with what transpired. while the publishers of the wall street journal may have a legitimate story in the field of business, they likely made a child’s well being collateral damage. will this haunt their consciences? perhaps, the wall street journal owes this young daughter, when she is old enough, a discreet and private explanation of the story; perhaps, an apology.
in sum, the wall street journal’s sensational reporting has now put into play the question as to which commandment or commandments have been broken. are we dealing with lies, adultery or both? further, this story is a reminder of the collateral damage that flows from the breaking of the commandments. one thing that can surely be said is that the cost of the that their daughter will feel is priceless. hopefully, she will handle it well.
be well!!
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