The Heart of Ethical Living: Choices That Shape a Better World."
What happened to our values?
The Heart of Ethical Living: Choices That Shape a Better World."
"Ethical comes from the Greek ethos "moral character" and describes a person or behavior as right in the moral sense - truthful, fair, and honest."
"At its core, ethical living revolves around making choices that consider the well-being of the planet, its inhabitants, and future generations. It's a commitment to aligning our actions with values that prioritise fairness, justice, and environmental stewardship. Ethical living goes beyond individual actions; it involves being mindful of the consequences of our choices on a global scale." "miti-life.com"
Ethical living means making choices that consider the well-being of the planet, the people who live on it, and those who will come after us. It is about more than just doing what feels right in the moment. It is about thinking carefully about how our actions affect others and the world around us.
Living an ethical life is a commitment to fairness, justice, and caring for the environment and others. It means acting to support these values rather than ignoring them when convenient. An ethical life includes simple everyday decisions like how we treat others, what we buy, and how we use natural resources. It also involves larger choices about the kind of society we want to help create.
Ethical living is not just about personal choices. It requires looking at the bigger picture and being aware of our actions' impact beyond ourselves. The products we use, the companies we support, and the habits we develop all have far-reaching consequences beyond our individual lives. When we decide based on what is best for us and the world, we contribute to a fairer and more sustainable future.
It is not always easy to live this way. There are times when doing the right thing is difficult. But when we stay committed to ethical living, we help build a world that is more just, more compassionate, and more mindful of the needs of others. By making thoughtful choices, we show that we care about the planet, its people, and future generations.
Examples of Ethical Dilemmas in Schools:
Cheating And Assisted Cheating
Cheating has always been an ethical issue plaguing schools. It's often difficult to uncover in the best circumstances, but large classroom sizes in public schools worsen this. Assisted cheating is also becoming a major ethical problem. Teachers may "assist" struggling students in boosting a classroom or school's overall scores or the teacher's assessment.
Assessment Problems
Assessments should always be graded ethically. However, there are teachers who may give students extra points to ensure they pass. Or, they may even grade lower to provide a better curve for all students. However, any type of false grading is unethical. It doesn't help the teacher, student, school, or society. Assessments determine if a student fully understands the concepts or needs additional help. Unethical grading prevents students from getting the help they need.
Examples in Mental Health:
Conflict of Interest
You are a social worker or psychologist. Suppose your friend is going through a divorce and wants full custody of her children. She asks you to write a letter testifying that you believe the children will be safer with her. You hold that belief, but you wonder whether your status as a social worker would carry an unfair amount of weight.Â
Therapist Sexual Relationship
The Codes of Ethics in the various mental health professions prohibit sexual and/or romantic interactions with clients, the romantic partners of clients, or the family members of clients. Some clients can become sexually provocative. That must be verbally explored within the psychotherapy. If a therapist feels sexually tempted, the client must be referred to another therapist.
Whether President Trump is behaving ethically looms in front of all Americans. Included in this is whether he acted in ethical ways before he was President. I will not answer this question for the reader. It is up to each person to decide this for themselves
I address your final paragraph. Trump has a long long record of unethical behavior stretching back to at least as far as when he paid someone to take his SAT exam. As a much later example, one of my close friends agreed to help Trump open the Atlantic City casino for a $200,000 fee. My friend succeeded, quickly. When he visited Trump to get paid, Trump said he would pay only 50% and if my friend didn’t like it, he could sue. This has been one of the ways Trump demonstrated unethical behavior throughout his life beyond his cheating on wives and other acts of dishonesty.
It seemed I was a lot more ethical as a child. As I grew up and went into my teen years, I was rude, rebellious, fighting all the time over ego issues with my father and engaging in underage drinking, smoking, and the odd use of pot. Still, I was in denial of the unsavory personality I displayed. Somehow, as the youngest of three, I always saw myself as innocent. I recall having three good friends and how they tried to argue with me about my angry actions and stealing. I believed it was justified to steal from the government because their taxation robbed us and they cared little about sending people off to die in conflicts.
A big change came many years later as I was able to earn a reasonable living. Still, once I succumbed to temptation and took $100 out of a house guests wallet. It ended the strongest friendship I ever had. Anosognosia is a condition in which people with an illness lack insight into their own condition, very common with schizophrenia. I had a form of this problem only I didn't realize my behavior left people with a much worse opinion of me than I had of myself. A phrase from Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield said seemed to sum up my eventual moral reconstruction. He said that until he realized that everyone... everyone struggles with something, he never was able to grow as a human being. I still get angry and wish harm on others, but when I turn things around and imagine a valid reason why someone may have wronged me, on purpose or not, my anger lessens. Prayer and meditation often helps with any leftover anger, and for anything that gets in my way that can't be blamed on people.
Leif Gregersen
leifgregersen.substack.com