Here you are, ready to live a fulfilling and meaningful life thanks to your own ethical principles. It is possible to draw inspiration from religion, spiritual beliefs, the highest teaching orders, a mentor or simply your own instincts by implementing changes in our life. The problem arises when we are not sure which principles to follow. Ethics is about relationships, developing a well-informed conscience, being true to ourselves and what we stand for. Ethics is about having the courage to explore difficult issues and being responsible. You will need values, morals and conceptions to distinguish good from evil, and to have the necessary knowledge, wisdom and intelligence. Here are some ideas to start from in order to develop your own code of ethics.
Steps
Step 1. Learn what a code of ethics is
Essentially a code of ethics is an all-encompassing system of right and wrong. It is a set of guidelines that help you make your decisions based on your own conscience.
Step 2. Use existing code to develop your own
Some ideas to be explored are included in political ideologies, religious beliefs, and analytic philosophy. Ask yourself what ideas make sense to you and which ones aren't. For example, do you agree that war can be justified? Do you think it is important to help others, even when it is inconvenient? How should humans treat animals? Ask yourself multiple questions and try not to be swayed by popular opinion. What do you really think?
Step 3. Write down your ideas
Save them to your computer or write them by hand so you can review them later if you wish.
Step 4. Identify patterns and organize your ideas into specific principles
Perhaps you are against all kinds of violence, so strict adherence to 'non-violence' will be one of your principles. As a rule, most of your views can be grouped into a number of principles. This is your code of ethics.
Step 5. Change your code through trial and error
Once you've written them down on paper, try applying your guidelines to real-life experiences. If you find that practice differs from theory, change one or more of your ideals accordingly.
Step 6. At school, listen and learn, the teachers' purpose is to help you and take care of you
Step 7. Know and understand the laws and how they apply to you and your situation
Take the time to understand how the laws relate to you and how they apply to your daily routine. Sometimes the law can take the form of the rules imposed by your workplace or organization. It is important to know how these rules relate to you and how they are applied.
Advice
- Know the problems. When making an ethical decision, you need to be intelligently aware of different points of view and try to have a good reason for your choice.
- Be patient with yourself. You can't develop an entire code of ethics overnight. It will take time and effort, but knowing that you are living by your own morals will be rewarding.
- Trust your instincts. Often, you will hear two or more conflicting opinions about a problem and will be able to recognize the reasons, this is a good quality. Even when you don't know how to explain it in logical terms, you will probably be led to consider one of the opinions more correct than others. When other means fail, follow your instincts.
- Don't expect everyone to agree with you. The primary purpose of developing a code of ethics is to know how YOU should live. You might think the world would be a better place if everyone did the same, but judging others and telling them what to do won't change them. Be a solid example of what you believe in, by staying positive and understanding, others will be much more inclined to follow you.
- Learn to distinguish good from evil.
Warnings
- Stick to your code of ethics after developing one. Evaluate the opinions of others to understand if you should make changes, but if you know you are right, respect it. Be careful not to simply change your mind every time someone disagrees with you.
- Be careful not to adopt a person's or group's entire code of ethics without asking questions. It is probably not 100% correct for you, and it hinders your resolve to develop your own.
- It can be difficult.
