Carissa Williams Mr.

Buescher Service Learning; Period: 6 April 14, 2014 Code of Ethics I have five important ethical standards that help me in making my daily decisions in life. My first standard is the idea of religion. I was taught from birth the Christian belief system and how important it is to follow this way. As I grew older, I started to explore more into it and realized it is the correct ideals for me. The idea that there is one god and he wants us to not think about ourselves 24/7. In order to truly help myself, then I have to help others. We have one life on this planet and it is up to us to make it the best we can. My second standard is the concept of respecting your elders. They have been on this planet longer than be and lived through much heartache in order for my generation to have a better life. I believe that in order to succeed in life that you have to know the past mistakes. They are the past and can give me the wisdom to be able to prosper in my future. I was always taught to mind my elders because without them, I wouldnt have what I have. My next standard is loyalty. If someone is there for me then I should be there for them. My people have been here for me in my hard times. The morally correct thing is to have their back as well. I guess the concept that humans have one big advantage point to harm their bodies, their back. So when I say that I am here for you, Im saying I got your back. When youre venerable and alone, I will be there for you, but I expect the same. Also, I believe that blood doesnt define who your family is.

In no way am I say that family isnt important, because they are. I am saying blood doesnt actually make you family, but rather just related. If family was only defined by genetics, it would mean that a lot of families are not really families. I have my family that I love, but also I have my extended family. They are comprised of friends, god-family, and people that I love to death. Family is people who will be in your life no matter what. Family is a love-hate relationship, in the sense of sometimes you want them to jump of a cliff and get eaten by a shark but a part of you know that you dont know what you would do if you lost them. They are the only ones that will love me for me and stay by my side through thick and thin. We are stuck with each other forever. I would do anything for them and protect them in any situation. I wont judge them and they will do the same. Family comes before me in every choice I make in my life. My family standard fits in also with my religious standard because of the four letter word, love. In the Bible, there is a verse that shows the true definition of love in it. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails (Cor. 13. 7-8) This is my commitment to my family. I will never harm them, leave them, always protect them, trust them and most importantly love them. My last ethical standard is always being real to myself. At the end of the day if I lose everyone in my life, I still have myself. I still have to live with the person I choose to be. If no one likes me, and all the people who said they love me desert me, there is still that one person left, well two. I have myself and God which is all I need. I am stuck with myself forever and I have to be able to wake up and look that person in the mirror. I have to be able to say, Hey, I like me and God likes me. That is all that counts. My beliefs, thoughts, and choices will affect me and define me for the rest of my life. I dont want to be known as someone who flips

at the drop of a hat. I always want to be seen as a person who holds on to my own thoughts and wont let anyone change them. In the end, I have to like me for me and not someone else. My influences come from a variety of things when it comes to my own code of ethics. My parents are a main reason for my ethics being the way they are today as well as all my family. They taught me the lessons I need in order to get to the point where I can make my own judgment on life. They have shaped my morality. They have taught me right from wrong good v. bad. It all started with baby dont touch the stove. I still touched it (what kid doesnt), but I learned not to touch it again unless you wanted to get burn. I learned through my actions there are consequences that I alone have to deal with. I also have learned from society. With thirteen years of school on my belt, I learned from teachers and classmates the act of respect. I had to always respect my teachers because they were the ones giving me knowledge to grow. Play sports have given me the traits of teamwork, determination, responsibility, and communication. I learned in sports how important respect and loyalty were in life. I had to respect my teammates in order to become a captain on a team while also using loyalty to always be on teammates side no matter what. I have learned how it feels to not have this, so I try my best to give it to others. Society has talked me the laws that I have to obey like redlights and green-lights. Society has given me the basics about ethics and it is my job to add on to what they believe. My family has helped shaped my morality. They show me through theirs, my, and others actions what is right and wrong. According to Kohlbergs theory of moral reasoning, I find myself in between the conventional level and the postconventional level. The Conventional level is when one is abiding by the law and

expectations of its family, friends, and society. The Post-Conventional level is where one has respect for universal principles, moral values, and demand for individual conscience. I am always trying to fulfill the expectations of everyone else in my life, but at the same time I want to fulfill my own expectations. I believe in the standard of others but also mine. I couldnt really choose which level exactly fit me. I know helping others is a good action and I should always obey the law. I also know that right action is individual rights and standard by society and individual. Civic virtue is the cultivation of habits of personal living that are claimed to be important for the success of the community. Civic virtue can be using polite conversation when talking to someone. Also, it can be acting civilized while out in public. That means no cussing someone out in the middle of the street or laughing extremely loud in the midst of a lecture. Someone being able to have civic virtue shows society that we are not cavemen and that we are able to interact with one another. Each individual should have their own code of ethics. No two people are the same, so having a set code of ethics for everyone wouldnt work. We are all at different stages in life and a different code of ethics required. My code of ethics wouldnt fit for a toddler and theirs wouldnt fit for me. Your experiences in life shape your morals, which in shapes your values, which in turns shape your ethics. You can learn from someones code to start forming yours, but then you start to form your own. You end up with a code that is not identical to anyone else because you are not like anyone else. My code of ethics fits me and who I am. It shows my moralities, my truths, my strengths, my struggles, and my limits.

This assignment has made a lot of things clearer for me. I see that I do have a code of ethics and I do have my limits. I know that I will go over and beyond for my family, friends, and my character. I wont let someone change me, because they dont like something about me. This assignment has been one of my favorite assignments, because I get to find out about me and who I am. I learned what kind of person I am becoming and whether or not I am going to like it. I like to know that I have reasons why I make the decisions I do in my life. If someone asks me why I choose what I choose, I can say it apart of my code. This assignment was a true eye opener.