The Ethics of Everyday Decisions - Taking a Shower

So, there you are, in the privacy of your own bathroom. You turn the water on and close the shower door and you are absolutely alone. Or are you? Could it be that even in your shower you are making decisions that affect you, your children, the nation and the environment? The answer is, “Yes.” The decisions you make as you retreat to your bathroom sanctuary are moral decisions – that is, they have the potential to help or harm yourself and others. Most of them affect others environmentally, but some are more direct. (Lest you think there is only one right decision to be made, be sure to read all the way to the end.)

“What decisions?” you might ask. Consider the simple steps of taking a shower and the decision involved:

1. You flip on the light. Do you consider turning on only the single-bulb shower light, or do you automatically reach for the multiple-bulb lights over the sink? Did you also flip on the heat lamp? If you’re alone in the house, do you think about leaving the door open rather than running the exhaust fan?
2. You grab a towel off the rack. Is it one you’ve used at least a couple times before or do you insist on a newly washed, fluffy towel, fresh out of the dryer? (And what kind of towels do you have hanging in your bathroom? Lush, thick towels that take three times as long to dry, tumbling around in the dryer, or thinner, utilitarian towels?
3. You turn on the spigot. Look up at the shower head. Is it a flow-restricted head designed to give maximum pressure with minimum water usage? Do you turn it on full-blast or do you adjust it down to only what you really need to do the job? (Note to self: check the settings on your hot water heater. Setting it down a couple of notches still delivers water hot enough to be comfortable, but uses far less energy to heat).
4. You lather up. Do you leave the shower running or do you stop the flow? Are you using biodegradable soaps and shampoos?
5. You rinse off. Do you stand there soaking up the good feeling of the hot water running over you or do you do the job and get out?

Of course, your decisions on all the above depend on the relative values you hold. For example, is your shower your one, clean escape from the rat race? Perhaps it is what helps you face the spouse and kids with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

This web log is not meant to prescribe the right answer, but rather to get you to ask the right questions. Weigh the differing, and even competing values you hold and make decisions for action based on what you hold dear. Ethics is about making informed choices based on the values you and others believe in.

Now, go shower and get ready for your day!

Scriptural insight: “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds…who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.” Ezekiel 34:2-3

Blogger Tags: Ethics, practical ethics, ethical decisions, ethical behavior, showering, environment, water usage