Ethics - Do They Exist?

I was telling a neighbor that SWiM - Starting with Me promotes ethics. His response was, "Are there any to promote?"

I've gotten a similar response numerous times, so I got to thinking, "Why do so many people think that ethics are disappearing?" To begin with, let's set the record straight. "Ethics" are neither good nor bad. Ethics is the choice of behavior based on one's beliefs. If someone believes they are entitled to what someone else has, their behavior may include stealing. If someone believes all good things come through hard work, their behavior will likely be hard work.

So ethics exist. No matter what.

The question people are really raising with their observation that ethics seem to be disappearing is why do we see so much "unethical" behavior (read, "behavior that doesn't match my beliefs")?

Complicated answers abound. But let me present a simple one for people to think about and react to: Unethical behavior seems rampant because you and I are not publicly declaring our beliefs and behaving in a way that supports them. Why not?

Here are several reasons, each of which I will talk about in coming posts.

Perhaps our society so strongly promotes tolerance that we avoid expressing our beliefs. Perhaps we are not doing a good job of examining our own beliefs.
Perhaps we are too concerned with our image.
Perhaps we are too weak.
Perhaps we really don't believe what we think we believe.

I'm very interested in what you all have to say about this subject. Please respond. The more people we get talking about ethics, the more conscious behavior we will see.

-Bob Ryan www.swimstartingwithme.com