Personal Ethics and Free Will - Essay Example

1 Personal Ethics- Up Close and Personal I have always heard the words "free will" most of the time. What is free will then Free will is a question of doing what I believe is right or wrong. Free will is a matter of making things work out for our own good and for the benefit of others. Free will is not maligning other people for our sake. Free will is a matter of doing things right and doing right things in the matter what I believe is right. Free will can be equated to ethics. The human mind is an instrument of deep set of values and realizations. If I live by rules that are stemmed from the ill effects of society, then I will end up being depressed and discouraged. Free will basically trusts one's instincts. It is being able to live well, to do things my own way and to live slowly but surely. My thought patterns are shaped by the way I see things. If I see things in a different light, if I see the two sides of a coin and if I choose to see what I want to see in my own perspective, then this is what I call free will. Ethics is governed by the rightness and wrongness of actions. What is then the definition of right and wrong Can these be equated with obligation and duty Take the context of the family. I know for a fact that the family is the basic unit of the society. Is the husband obliged to take care of his wife or vice versa Are parents obligated to take care of their children When the elderly in the family starts to suffer from dementia, are the concerned family members obliged to take good care of him or her These are the questions that will help us define the morals and principles that have shaped the society. I treat Kantian ethics as a foundation of the difference between right or wrong, between good and bad. Immanuel Kant argues that to act in the morally right way, people must act according to duty. But then is duty synonymous to responsibility How does duty become a sense of accountability Take for example the situation in the community. The rules that the society dictates can sometimes be so distracting but if I would consider that rules are meant to be followed and not meant to be broken, then everything in the community will be in order. The very simple sign, "No smoking" at the gasoline station is meant to be abided. I know the consequences that will occur if I smoke at the gas station. In this case, is this really my duty not to smoke Or is it simply following the rules and being aware of the consequences if I smoke at the gasoline station How can I say that it is a matter of common sense How does comprehension differ from awareness How does common sense differ from morally dictated laws If I do something, should I think the welfare of others Take for example a friend of mine needs a job. Let us name my friend Elle. Elle has been looking for a job for the past six months. Now an opportunity for her to work part time has landed on her lap. Her duty is to fill in the position of a nurse in a nursing home for only three days. Now as she started working, she does not want to let go of the opportunity. What she did was to convince the nursing home administrator to hire her full time instead of the 2 Nurse whom she has temporarily replaced for three days. Elle was able to convince the nursing home administrator to hire her full time at the expense of the nurse who only took her days off. Who is now at fault here Is it that of the nursing home administrator or is it that of scheming Elle who thought of her own self interest rather than the nurse who has worked in the nursing home for years When the nurse returned, she does not have a job anymore. On Elle's part, she would rather think of her own survival rather than the welfare of the nurse whom she has replaced. In this situation, the context of good and bad is really out of the maxim of the rules of good and evil. Take for example the context of suicide. Japan is considered the country with the highest suicide rate. In Japan, suicide is common but in the milieu of Christianity, suicide is not advisable. In this framework, how can I prove that if I commit suicide then my soul will go to hell Again, I cannot really argue whether or not this analogy can be applied. I can't help but think that all Japanese who are not Christians and who commit suicide will go directly to hell Now the question is, do Japanese believe in the concept of eternal life Or suicide is just a simply of way of life in Japan This is not a matter of religion but is a matter of the ill effects of imposed empirical rules, notions and maxims. What about the ethic of reciprocity, also known as the golden rule Do I truly believe that I should do something unto others what others will do unto me How can I be so sure of what the other person feels in terms of his or her inner feelings and intentions How would I know that the person shows good actions only on the surface Whatever is seen on the surface does not necessarily spell sincerity. What about a criminal who will be sent to prison for acts of murder Would he be able to ask the judge not to send him to prison because the judge should not do so unto others as he does not want others to do unto him How can one define ethics in the context of Robin Hood Stealing is bad as had been the belief thousands of years ago. But if Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives it to the poor, will the underlying consequences of stealing change What is the difference between an ordinary girl from a very conservative neighborhood who gets pregnant at 14 or a young actress who will be having a baby out of wedlock People will react if the former gets axed by some rules governing the society as compared to the latter who is an image model of a teen magazine. Why do sometimes actresses get away with drugs, alcohol, gambling only to conclude that these are not good influences to the youth If a famous actress gets arrested for drunk driving, people easily forgive. But if a daughter of a pastor gets arrested for drunk driving, it is a whole different story. When people act according to what is right as dictated by society's norms, how sure I am that he or she acts according to his or her heart When a politician who is known to be corrupt for years suddenly designs a program for the society's less fortunate, how sure am I that what the politician does is simply for a show to protect his reputation or is it because he wants to change and truly serve his fellowmen 3 The context of ethical egoism is self love or self interest. There is nothing wrong with loving oneself or doing something to serve my own interest. But then, egoism again is equated to selfishness. Is selfishness really that bad to the point that this is also synonymous to egocentricity I would rather not deal so much on the negative notion of egoism. I would rather change the meaning of egoism to respect. Respect for one self. Respect for others. If one has a high self esteem, then the notion of self interest will not rule. A high regard for oneself is better as compared to self absorption or narcissism. In the context of relationships, I have always heard the phrase "a perfect relationship." All of us would have the ideal relationship in mind where seventh heaven is the most important thing to earth. There is no such thing as perfect relationships. There is such thing as flexibility and adjustment. If I would always paint a picture of an ideal man or woman then I will never be happy. Take for example, John and Jean has a relationship. Before he met Jean, John was a terrible smoker. Since Jean does not like a man who smokes, John will try to change his smoking habits for Jean's sake. When Jean is not with him, then he will continue to resort to smoking. Where is honesty here I would rather have John smoke in front of me that smoke at my back. It is not right for a person to change because others want him to change. It is better to be true to oneself in that way; he or she can move freely and be more honest with who he or she is. In every relationship, it is best not to have too many expectations. When the unexpected arises, then it would be very easy to deal with it. Then there is no room for any disappointment. To effectively handle difficult situations, I make sure that I have a whole bunch of respect in me. I also make it a point to respect the differences of others, to fully reveal myself than to conceal myself, and to accept people as to who and what they are. I also know how to manage my emotional state, rather than react to what people say and do and give away my personal power. I have the ability to monitor what would have been my usual emotional responses and act intentionally instead, without the driving emotion of anger, sadness, fear, or any other negative force that breeds upset, anger and contempt. How to deal with free will Look for the positive in others. Look for positive in oneself. We have to enjoy our moments with life. Life is not dull. Free will is more of opening our minds and hearts. Ethics is more on dealing with optimism. Ethics is the spice of life. How to add spice in one's life Acceptance is the key. I have to accept the differences of others and the imperfections this world has to offer. Serenity rules when we transform expectations to acceptance. It is a matter of acknowledging the facts of each and every situation. Free will is also a matter of choice. For example, I can choose to be happy or sad. I can choose to sing or dance. I can choose to be here or there. I can choose to live in the present or live in the past. I make sure that I am ready to face whatever consequences that I have to face given the result of my choice. For example, a friend of mine named Rachel chose to marry a guy who is not so rich but whom she loves most dearly than to marry a guy who is 4 rich but whom she does not love. When I asked her about this, she simply said that, "money can be earned but love cannot be taught. The heart cannot be dictated." Again, it was Rachel's choice to go for love. Others would say that she should be practical, but then she chose to follow her heart. Another example is choosing the right course in college. My interest is media and communication. I know for a fact that if I study law or medicine then I will have a very stable future. Why will I force myself to study law or medicine if I will not be happy in the first place I would rather pursue what my passion is and eventually do what I want to do, from there; I know that I will be successful because I have pursued what my heart calls for. In terms of having a job, I would rather work because I am happy with what I am doing rather than work because I need the money. If I work for the money, then I will not be happy. It is best to do what I want to do then money will just come. Free will is also a matter of priorities. What is then my priority in life If my priority is to be a billionaire by age forty then at age fifteen, I should have started charting my goals. But then again, life does not always turn the way I want it to be, in this case, flexibility comes in. In assessing free will, I must always remember, that there is always a time and a reason for everything. Free will is not blaming my family for my mistakes in life. Free will is not blaming the government for not having a job. Free will is not blaming my neighbor because her cat destroyed my garden. Free will is not blaming nature for my heartaches. Free will is not blaming my significant other because my life sucks. Free will is a matter of focusing on one self and the inner self. How do I relate all these to problems and life Take for example, how am I supposed to deal with the problems in this world When problems arise, there is a need to ponder each problem effectively. Problems should not control the person. Instead, each person should know how to control a problem. Problems are not failures per se. These are lessons for people to learn and apply these lessons to everyday life. Problems are synonymous to life. Life without problems is dull. Problems make people stronger to fully discern that life is truly a journey and not a destination. I have always treated problems as something for me to learn and learn. I find it hard to sweat on small stuff. What I do is sit in a quiet room and listen to the beatings of my heart. I sometimes listen to music since music transcends the soul. I also make it a point to listen to my instincts. From there, I would come up with options. If for example, I cannot solve my problem with solution number one then I make sure that I have solution number two and so on and so forth. Another way to solve a problem is an ardent foundation of faith and hope. These two virtures have proven to be effective solutions in dealing with problems. Faith is a belief- a belief that all things are made with rays of optimism and hope. I believe that we should take control of problems. There is a need for us to go with the flow of life. I believe that we have to follow with the will of the wind. It is important for me to steer the wheel based on the road 5 that I would like to take. In life, the road less travelled is the road that we must all take to lead a fruitful and a better life. The essence of happiness is something to hope for. What is the road less travelled It is the road that is free from pressure and stress. A road that will make us truly think on the underlying meaning of life. To quote from Bernard M. Baruch, "None of us can be free of conflict and woe. Even the greatest men have had to accept disappointments as their daily bread." It is through disappointments that we all learn how to succeed. We may fall at times, the important thing is the time that we have risen after the fall. Free will, ethics, social norms, morals, culture, egoism. Take it up close and personal. Believe me, everything is all a matter of perspective. Whatever happens actually lies in my own hands. To use my intellect and free will very well, will definitely spell a lot of difference in my life. 6 Reference Waller, Bruce N. (2008). Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson/Longman. Read More