Ethics and Morality

All people are inherently good people, we all have the ability to do good. You may not work out a way to feed the world, or cure cancer, but just by being polite to a cashier at the fuel station, or smiling at someone in the street you can change someone’s day for the better.

Morals and ethics are the cornerstone of all belief systems in the world and its impossible to objectively say that one thing is right or wrong. To classify something as right or wrong for all of humanity is impossible as everyone’s interpretation of life is different. Religions and Governments have tried to do this by imposing rules and laws, but even these have exceptions. Take murder for example, it is illegal to take the life of another human being, this stems from the teachings of Christianity and the commandment “Thou Shalt not Kill.” Yet governments all over the world still go to war killing millions of people, and many still practice capital punishment, does this make them morally wrong? Governments seem to have interpreted this rule as “Thou shalt not Kill….. unless we say they deserve it, or they pose a threat to our nation.” In reality ethics and morality come down to three key statements and these are the things that all decisions should be based one. “Will it make me happier then I currently am”, “will it affect any other being in a negative way” and “is it vital for me to survive” obviously the third statement is the “Trump card.” If making the decision is vital for you survival, then it should be an obvious choice. By using these as the corner stone of decision making, being an ethically and morally good person is simple.

 

By living your life and making decisions with these thoughts in mind, you will be making morally good decisions, you will find that most laws and rules will have validity eg, murder will not only affect the victim in a negative way, but there family and friends as well. But like everything this rule grows and evolves with your life, whilst as you grow as a human being and your experiences in life compile your ethical and moral boundaries may shift.  You may find yourself as you get older thinking its no longer ethical to eat meat, or braking the speed limit may become more of a moral grey area.