Values and Ethics in Day-Day Life

Values and Ethics in Day-Day Life

Introduction

Values and ethics are essential personal virtues that every individual in the society should sincerely hold dear in their day to day lives. Each individual is different, but there are crucial and universally accepted moral principles and rules that help in governing behavior as far as individual success and the benefit of the whole society one lives in is concerned(Rohr,2017). Every one of us must have certain beliefs that are important in every aspect of life in achieving their desired goals and objectives. These should be in tandem with individual obligations and general benefits to society. Personal values, in particular, are critical in making priorities in daily life, the challenges and means to overcome them to become the people we desire, and also to those that live amongst us (Rohr, 2017). Examples of ethical values that are important for an individual in pursuit of success include respect, empathy, justice, honesty, connection to others, and is dynamic to the happenings in our surroundings.

My ethical values are based on family, personal achievements, and general happiness. In every society, the influence of family is significant in shaping perspectives and outlook about life and the public culture since it is the immediate surrounding where critical moral principles and beliefs are nurtured first(Eriksson et al.,2016). Family values provide a foundation for affection, support, and guidance most so during the early stages of life and in times of challenges and crises. Families with sound ethical values can influence an individual positively; therefore, it protects and guide against making hurtful decisions in daily life and even in future decisions and is usually passed from one generation to the next.

My upbringing has significantly influenced most of my ethical values and beliefs in a strict religious family where honesty, kindness, respect, compassion, and empathy was taught to us from a very young age. I, together with my siblings, attended church every Sunday from an early age, where these values were further cemented. We were also involved in charitable activities in our community, such as environmental cleaning, donation of items to the needy in society, and taking part in other religious activities. Any act that was considered to be against these values was highly castigated and heavily punished. Since then, I have continuously tried to uphold these ethical values in my day to day life activities be it at home, school, workplace and they have much helped me in my individual achievements and general happiness and to a more significant extent my good relationship with other members of society as well.

Generally, I apply various ethical frameworks in making decisions about what is wrong or right in my daily life. Sometimes we have to make decisions on a range of situations, some that may be difficult. The utilitarian approach is critical in everyday life situations since it provides an avenue for weighing many options, both good and bad available while making ethical decisions(Gawronski & Beer,2017). It provides guidance in making decisions that produce the most benefit to the individual with little or no harm or adverse effects on others in society (Gawronski & Beer, 2017). Through the utilitarian approach, one is able to understand the effects a decision will have on someone else or a group of people, and therefore when making such decisions, the individual should be cognizant and considerate to others even though the action may be beneficial to him.

The utilitarian approach has helped me much in my life, especially in making decisions that otherwise may jeopardize the relationship between myself and other people in society, such as family, friends, school mates, and workmates. Since my childhood, I have always been taught to be considerate of the feelings of others and that I should still desist from actions that hurt others even if it means foregoing my own individual fulfillment. In my religious teachings, I was taught to be kind, honest, and respectful to people and to be always ready to make sacrifices for the benefit of others.

At the workplace, school, or any other social place where I interact with different people, I always make sure that I create a positive environment for my coworkers and schoolmates by respecting individual opinions, religion, social background, and open to critique. This has helped me create a strong interpersonal bond with others. Moreover, I have used my personal achievements to impact others positively by donating to charitable and other humanitarian activities, consequently contributing to my happiness and individual mental health being. Also, through this, I am able to improve my academic performance at school because of the excellent relationship I have with both students and teachers, and everybody is always willing to help me when I face any challenges.

The deontology approach is equally important since it teaches that ethical decisions should be made based on a series of set rules that determine whether the action is right or wrong. An individual, while making decisions, must first understand the available laws and regulations concerning that decision even if the results produced will not be acceptable to many people (Gawronski i& Beer, 2017). It is particularly vital in making everyday life decisions where the reasoned thought and action is needed before the work takes place and must be in accordance with particular moral rules. I have also applied the deontology approach in dealing with my day-day life activities by always ensuring that any decisions I make must adhere to the set laws and rules. These rules are both religious in nature and also government rules. My strict religious upbringing has taught me to follow some rules, notably the Ten Commandments in the bible. At any time before I make any decision, I must always consciously weigh the conflict it can have with my religious beliefs. In spiritual deontology principles and religious laws, I am morally obligated not to steal, lie, cheat, kill, or do anything that is contrary to such beliefs.

Additionally, the deontology approach has helped me to make decisions that are morally obligatory regardless of the consequences; for example, I once helped in the apprehension of a thief that had broken into my family home. The intruder was armed, and my family life was at risk, so I had to call the police, and the robber was shot and injured and eventually jailed. It was my moral duty to protect my family first irrespective of what the consequences the robber will face even if it was death. I am compassionate about others, but I also have to make decisions that, to me is in tandem with set rules, and in this instance, I believed the robber had to suffer the consequences of his actions. In our day to day life where we experience difficult challenges, some that may be life-threatening, our general moral principles should be weighed in such a way that the consequences or outcomes that may arise even though they may be wrong, must be in accordance with the moral rules set.

I also believe and practice the fairness and Justice approach that teaches that all human beings, irrespective of ethnicity, religious, or social backgrounds, should be treated equally. This, when combined with other various ethical frameworks, can be used to address multiple inequalities for all human beings (Smith, 2017). Vices such as ethnic profiling, racism, religious extremism, and selective justice. In my daily life, I have participated in campaigns for social inclusivity, end to police brutality, especially among minorities in countries like the U.S.

Additionally, together with my workmates and schoolmates, we have advocated for an end to religious discrimination and other social discrimination practices since, according to my religious beliefs and upbringing, every human being is equal. My strict family upbringing spiritual and school teachings have taught me that everybody is created equally and should be treated as such. Any action taken by any individual or groups such as government security agencies must be humane and strictly adhere to the principles of fairness and justice. Everyone must, therefore, be treated equally without any form of discrimination for our society to be considered holistically prosperous. During ethical values deliberations, emphasis should be made based on the aspirations and desires of everybody in the community so that some people don’t feel left out.

Conclusion

In conclusion, therefore, ethical values and moral principle may vary from one region to another and is dependent on many factors such as religion, cultural practices, and political climate. However, there are some universal moral human virtues that every individual in any part of the world should at least possess for the general prosperity of the human race. Values such as kindness, honesty, empathy, integrity, human dignity, and respect should be practiced and held in high esteem by everyone to ensure peaceful and harmonious coexistence. Government, religious, and other influential leaders in society should help in inculcating these values on people under their jurisdiction. Based on my personal experiences and observation, various forms of injustices and inequality still is a significant impediment to peace worldwide. I am a proponent of an all-inclusive society for current and future generations guided by moral principles and ethical values.

References

Eriksson, K.H., Hjalmarsson, R., Lindquist, M.J.,&Sandberg, A.(2016).The importance of family background and neighborhood effects as determinants of crime. Journal of Population Economics, 29(1), 219-262.

Gawronski, B., &Beer, J.S. (2017).What makes moral dilemma judgments’’utilitarian’’or’’deontological”?.Social Neuroscience, 12(6), 626-632

Rohr. (2017).Ethics for bureaucrats: an essay on law and values.Routledge

Smith, M.B.(2017).Values, self, and society. Toward a humanist social psychology.Routledge.