Developing Ethos

It is commonly understood ethics are developed not taught. Morals are stories, religious influence and teachable parts of ethics; however, ethics relate to how a person responds to a situation. Morals and rules-of-thumb dictate how to achieve desired outcomes and boundaries of an action. Thinking about situations develops ethics.

Experience and exposure to different viewpoints are a catalyst for developing ethos. Having friends of various ethnicities creates an understanding of how everyone is similar emotionally. Talking to a person about various topics exposes information about how to present information and an ethic is developed to topics within moral guidelines.

We are familiar with Mrs. Manners dictating what they consider important. An example is, "People who swear reveal themselves as less educated and therefore stop talking to them." My own ethos recognizes listening as an important part of communication and communication is important to solving problems. In addition, discriminating against people is wrong. This rule-of-thumb permits people to stop listening and discriminate against people who swear. Therefore, despite Mrs. Manners I will continue talking to people who swear and occasionally swear to exaggerate statements. Wanting a moral outcome, listening to people, gaining information and being a friend is a proactive solution for resolving problems.

Does anyone walk towards a weird noise downstairs with a baseball bat after watching horror movies? Ethoses are also developed through exposure to various thoughts. A person develops a plan of action without having the actual experience. Find an escape route and call the police. Is it ethical? A violent resolution was evaded, while accomplishing a positive outcome.

When working at a pizza place management told everyone, "If there is a robbery, do as the robber states. Do not put yourself in danger or risk your life for money." Employees made deposits during the day, so there was hardly any money on location. This protects their own interests and employees in potentially dangerous situations.

Often we want everything to be perfect and avoid seeing anything harmful. Yet this limits the ability to ponder unknown situations. It is important to establish ethics before an event. It saves time and produces better results.

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