The Core Principles Of My Personal Ethics

I define ethics as a particular code of values, your moral guide. My ethical beliefs were drawn up on the basis of the influence of my family, religion, friends, and my vast life experiences. I have determined for myself a list of statements and rules I try to adhere.

1. Respect for elders. The culture I am raised in has certain rules of conduct. As an example, if an elder person enters the room, you cannot remain seated, you have to stand up to great a person;
2. The Golden Rule of reciprocity. We should aim to treat each other as we would like to be treated ourselves;
3. Do not judge people and their actions. Do not make conclusions until you know all the sides of the question;
4. Reject violence in any of its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and social. I am a supporter of pacifism. I am convinced that each one of us should stand against violence and do not remain indifferent;
5. Courtesy is a trait that will be returned;
6. Another rule I obey was written by a Persian poet Omar Khayyam in XII century, it states “As far as you can avoid it, do not give grief to anyone. Never inflict your rage on another. If you hope for eternal rest, feel the pain yourself; but don’t hurt others. ”
7. Another quote that impressed me when I was a teenager is “Never be afraid to do what you do not know how. Remember, the ark was built by an amateur. Professionals built the Titanic”. That quote cannot be considered as an ethical code, but I think it is very important to remember that we should never underestimate our capability and sell ourselves short in life. To convert that saying into ethical principle, I should say Do not break other people's dreams and hopes;
8. Respect the life and dignity of every person without any discrimination and prejudice;
9. Be tolerant to the opinion of another, respect for the right of another to disagreement;
10. Keep your word.

I stated my basic principles of ethics. My closest friends and I share essential views on moral principles, sometimes we disagree on certain actions. To be precise, I have five best friends, three of them I know practically my whole life. An interesting fact is that two of them are Muslims, one is share Buddhism beliefs, another one is Christian, and the last one is an atheist. It does sound like a beginning of a joke, but it’s not. The reason why I mentioned their beliefs is to show how despite on our differences in religion, families’ implications, and characters we remain friends for many years. In some rare moments when we have a disagreement we always talk it over, find a compromise or simply apologize with an agreement not to discuss it anymore, because each of us will remain with his opinion.

Moral principles are subject to change, as well as any component of society, because time changes, worldview changes and therefore what seemed once unacceptable or prejudiced is now considered the norm. The core of my moral guide never drastically changed. Although, in school I thought that everyone shares my view to stay against injustice. Because of that belief I often ended up in physical fights with boys, trying to stand for someone or something. It is funny to remember now, but I certainly learned my lesson, that violence never solved anything.

I definitely believe that my personal code of ethics is only helpful in workplace. Values such as respect, caring, and honesty are the core of productive and enjoyable work environment. If I come across any more ethics that will help me with my professional growth. I will gladly adapt to them.