Robert Bellah points out in his landmark book Habits of the Heart that work can be a source of self-esteem. It may provide new challenges and pathways to social standing and power. Yet, indifference and even cynicism can be found in the professions. Cynicism arises when options are limited, when possibilities for choosing are lost. Lines become blurred and difficult to draw, and standards seem out of reach.
Deception begins to dominate, leading many to place self-interest above societal interest.
We cannot be both cynical and honest to ourselves. We cannot be both cynical and consciously moral because to be moral, we act by what we truthfully see as right and wrong. Genuine ethical autonomy is the product of reflective and honest choice. It is the freedom to gauge meaning, to browse among one's meditations, to turn a thought around here, then there, changing one's perspective. To be morally alert is to be conscious of the complexities that ethical dilemmas impose.