Ethics.. Who needs it?
As I finish up my Graduate career, I had to really think
about what my last Blog as a graduate student will be. Should I look back at the last 3 years and
fondly dissect it piece by piece or class by class? Should I blow it off? Nope,
I want to discuss Ethics… As a graduate student, my professors were constantly
reminding us not to plagiarize our work.
Not to cheat on assignments and never compromise your principles.
I’ll be honest, as a student it is very easy to cheat but
who gets cheated? Only you. The
information that you don’t read for the assignment or the information that you
take from someone else’s work to pose as your own, is information you will
eventually need as you go through your career and especially your life in
general. So why cheat yourself out of
the knowledge and the experience.
So, what are “Ethics” Your definition of this subject may
differ from mine but in my opinion, “Ethics is doing the right thing even when
no one is looking or will notice”. In
other words, YOU know that what you are doing is the right thing to do.
(deepgreenpermaculture.com)
The right thing can come from many sources, the rule of law,
the Bible or even science. All of these
sources or disciplines teach us what is fact and what isn’t, what is true and
what is false and of course, what is right and what is wrong. All of these sources or disciplines instruct
us how to live and how to act in a positive manner.
Examples:
You find a wallet with
$100 dollars in it. The wallet has an
ID. Do you:
A.) keep the $100 and throw away
the wallet?
B.) locate the owner and give them
back the wallet with the $100.
You walk by a co-workers desk and
his PC is unlocked, his e-mail is open and you notice an e-mail that has your
name on it or a friend’s name. Do you:
A.) Read the e-mail and hope no one sees you?
B.) press Ctrl/Alt/Del and lock the PC?
Ethical dilemmas can arise at any time and how you react to
the challenges put in front of you will determine who you are and how people
look at and perceive you. Do yourself a
favor and always try and do the right thing.
Once you look the other way and fudge something, you lose…
