Reflections on Ethics, Morals, and Social Responsibility

This past 9 weeks I have dove into the world of Ethics, Morals, and Corporate Social Responsibility. I have learned some great theories and concepts regarding ethics and morals. More importantly, I have thought more in depth about what it means to be moral and ethical in my life.

There are three take-away's from this course:

1. Ethics and Morals are not static things or ideologies. What was ethical to me as a teenager is different from how I view ethics now as a father, professional, and productive member of my community. As we grow in our experiences and values we can expect to grow in our understanding of what it means to be ethical and have a strong moral foundation. Further, others' ideas on ethics may differ from ours and require us to critically think about how they view the world of right and wrong, and why. We should all make a practice out of evaluating  or resetting our moral compasses every so often, and realign them when needed. Sure, there are certain ethical rules we should follow like don't murder, steal, or cheat others. However, we should gauge why we follow these ethical laws so we fully understand why we should not do these things. As we grow, so shall our ethics and morality.
2. Deontology or Consequentialism... which one is right? Deontologists believe that the act is weighted in ethical or moral responsibility. We don't do A, B, C because A, B, C are wrong in their nature. Consequentialists believe we don't do A, B, C because if we do we get X, Y, Z which are morally and ethically wrong. Staunch supporters of each view point hold fast to their beliefs. However, I believe both of these principle values are systems that can be used separately or in unison. I choose not to murder because taking another life without a valid cause (self defense, defense of others, war, etc) is wrong. I can also understand that if I take a life without a valid cause I deprive the victim of their right to live, their families from enjoying them, and the future they could have had. I think it is important to consider the consequences of our actions just as much as it is important to know the difference between right and wrong behavior.
3. We all need to be on a quest to be better. We should all be learning and continually examining our world around us. Evil can and has come with thunderous applause. I wonder how those who followed Hitler felt about the ethical and moral choices they were making when following his orders to commit genocide. How could so many be duped into abandoning their moral and ethical virtues? We must not allow ourselves to be persuaded into surrendering our grasp on what is right. We should all be willing to commit to self improvement, to being useful, and to being kind. It starts with what is directly in front of us. We make decisions on how we treat those we see everyday and those decisions create habits that we use to treat others' a little further removed from our immediate sphere of influence. Kindness is contagious. Ethical behavior is just as contagious. Be the example in your life and others will follow.

These past few weeks have been enlightening to say the least. Our minds are like rubber bands in the sense that the more we stretch them the less they will assume their original form. We must always be stretching ourselves. We do this by attending to our mind, body, and spirit. There is no irony in the fact that ethics and morality can be found in all three.

JP