The matter of ethics has for a long time been one of the most pondered subjects throughout the history of man. As such, many prominent historical figures have attempted to classify or define what exactly constitutes ethical behavior. Whether through a belief in a society of a different kind, or the belief in deities or gods, the question of what makes human behavior ethical has never been ultimately answered (Bazerman & Tenbrunsel, 2011). Contextually, what we as human beings learn in the course of living, or experience in the society we inhabit are the only parameters with which can determine or justify what is right or wrong. As an individual with interest in these disturbing questions, I have developed certain guiding principles and core values which I believe are instrumental in driving my life through the right trajectory.
Guiding Principles
Passion
Knowing myself and Being True to Myself
Self-motivation
Clarity of Vision and Goals
Core Values
Personal Integrity
Responsibility
Family
Ambition
Excellence
Mission Statement
Making a positive contribution to society and leaving the world better than I found it
Evaluation
In achieving the excellence established in my code of conduct, it is imperative that I should never at any time be satisfied with anything less than what my best effort can offer or produce. To this end, I am driven by the need to try my best in the various aspects of life; from the personal relationships I establish with other members of both the immediate and external society in the sense of close family members, friends, fellow students and work colleagues. To me, excellence does not entail the results achieved in the course of my endeavors, but the means with which such results are achieved and adherence to the rules and standards I have set for myself. To effectively prioritize where my best efforts go, I find it of importance to maintain a healthy work-life balance upon the completion of my studies. After all, dedicating my entire time towards a professional life will erode my personal life and deny me the excellence I strive to achieve and the happiness that comes with it. Although I feel obliged to admit that the exact meaning of a healthy work-life balance is never stagnant and will definitely change with the continuity of my evolution, it presently involves excellence in the classroom (or work) settings while still being present in the lives of my family members and friends besides creating time for my enjoyable daily activities like reading and exercising.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
As part of my core value towards responsibility, it is prudent to honor my commitments and keep my promises. Due to the many roles I play, such commitments and promises are various forms, including the promises I make to my friends, my family, myself, and my future profession), in addition to my commitment towards my class assignments. One of such commitments is honoring my obligations to family and friends events. Unfortunately, there are, and there will continue to be times when obligations to my friends, my family members and myself will conflict with each other, as certain responsibilities take priority over others. In cases such as these, I will rely on virtue to direct my loyalties to these competing parties one case at a time (Adams, 2008).
With the family as a major facet of my core values, no matter whatever currently goes on, or will be going on in my life, my highest obligation will forever be towards my family. I consider this to be one of the golden rules that will always guide my ethical decisions. However, I do understand that not everyone considers this to be a golden rule in their lives, and I choose not to perceive them as immoral for not regarding the rule as such. Part of the reason for according my family such a high level of priority stems from the reality that I have had and will continue to have a strong relationship with my family as a source of my happiness. Even though my friends and colleagues at school and the workplace give me the happiness I need as a normal human being, the faith I have in my family remains unshakeable. Thus, I know that whatever form of turbulence life may throw at me in the course of living, my family will always have my back. In appreciating the support and happiness accorded to me by my family members, I visit them, hold frequent phone conversations with them and take relevant actions in their support on a need basis. This is beside the overall presence I have in their daily lives through emotional support.
My ambition rests on the need to be optimistic and carve a larger purpose behind my current actions. As a student in pursuit of a future career, the work involved in my present academic pursuit may at times feel unimportant and even tedious. This is more so, given the distractions common across student life and the urge for economic empowerment expected of such endeavors; which often appear difficult to reach before completion of the education program. But, only when I strive to foresee where my current academic engagements fit in the grand scheme of things can I realize the importance attached to what currently occupies my time and what I intend to achieve upon the completion of my educational journey. More importantly, by scrutinizing the bigger picture, it becomes apparently clear how my present educational journey is important to both myself and the larger society.
The existence of varied ways through which society, culture, and mentors have tried to mold human behavior towards what is ethically good or bad necessitates the need for personal integrity. In this regard, one of the major reason is that laws formulated by various societies, cultures and even those established by our mentors tend to differ due to the discrepancies characterizing different societies, cultures and the individual laws adhered to by individual mentors. Differences such as these usually fail to extensively resolve the numerous conflicts common across human engagements and conduct, especially in multicultural settings such as that witnessed in the contemporary world (Mukherjee, 2014). Because I cherish personal integrity as a core value, I intend not to change who I am to conform with what others expect me to be, and I intend to stand up for the beliefs I hold dear even though such beliefs may not be popular or attract applause or recognition from other members of society. As someone confident in himself and respectful of what I believe in, I do not expect other people to exhibit similar confidence in me and respect what I believe in. While it may at times be uncomfortable for me when others disagree with my decisions and actions, and while such unpopular actions may not always yield positive outcomes for me, the ethical decisions I make are often virtue-based and rule-based as opposed to consequence-based. On my part, the motives behind my actions such as respecting individual human dignity are comparatively better determinants of my individual definition of morality than the consequences of my actions such as being unpopular with my friends and colleagues.
References
Adams, R. M. (2008). A theory of virtue: Excellence in being for the good . Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Bazerman, M. H., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (2011). Blind spots: Why we fail to do what's right and what to do about it . New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Mukherjee, J. (2014). Conflict Resolution in Multicultural Societies: The Indian Experience . California: SAGE Publishing India.
