With all the "me too ... I was one of those" confessions going on here, I feel I need to do the same.

As with others commenting here, there was (still is ... not long though) a cultural gap issue.

I now realise that the reason why I have for some time obsessed about the issue is because the culture of the company I'm in is diametrically opposed to my belief system.

The lesson I've learnt though is one of those universally accepted (albeit not so widely practiced) truths -- don't entertain a situation that clearly has no happy ending; get out of it as quickly as possible.