Snedeker 1
Dustin Snedeker
Period 6
10/30/12
Mr. Buescher
Service Learning
Code of Ethics
A few times in our lives we have to define what’s morally / ethically right or wrong, and we have had to make decisions based off of that central idea. That is partly defining our Code of Ethics, defining what we think is right or wrong, and defining who we are as people. In doing so, we discover more about ourselves, help prepare ourselves for the future, and help with dealing with moral dilemmas in the future. An individual's code of ethics can be heavily influenced by outside sources, such as parents, friends, religions, being in social situations, and many others. In the next couple of pages i’m going to describe my code of ethics, as well as go in-depth on each point and describe how outside sources in my life greatly shifted my way of thinking.
I have five different key points in my code of ethics, and they are the following: Respect,
Justice, Free Will, Wisdom, and Truth. With these five key points I can help define whether any decision is morally correct. The ultimate goal of creating your own code of ethics is to help guide you to the right decisions later in life, as well as know what’s right and wrong in the given circumstances. For me, defining my code of ethics is a huge deal, simply because I have to think about every major event that affected me in life. In doing so, I can see the decisions I have made in the past, and make a judgment on whether that was the moral correct or incorrect thing to do.
With this, I can help structure my code of ethics and pinpoint what I think is morally right or wrong.

Snedeker 2
It is greatly important for every single person to have a code of ethics. Not only does it help them reflect on their life and the actions that they have made, but they also know what's right and wrong, and helps guide them to the right actions. If every single person in our country defined their own code of ethics, there would be a lot less crimes, as well as respect for one another.
I was born into a non-religious household (we were catholic, but never went to church and never did any in-depth reading on the bible). My parents taught me all the way throughout my childhood, with such sayings as “Respect your elders”, “Be polite”, and to think about my priorities.
There were also many other influences that affected me throughout my life, like my friends and family. However, probably the greatest influence on my life would have to be my mother. My mother has helped me greatly throughout my life, always teaching me how to do things and teaching me about what’s right and what’s wrong. She taught me to be a passive individual, and always to keep out of trouble. But when something comes up, I can make the right decision and not cause any problems with anyone. Using Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning, I believe I am a border-lined level 6 individual. Not only have I adopted mutual respect as a universal principle, but I have created my own code of ethics, and have applied them to my life and certain circumstances. I believe laws are absolutely true unless they are morally unjust, as well as mostly acting on what I believe is right, and not what is expected of me.
To me, civic virtue is one’s standard behavior in society. Whether it be righteous or just, it always defines what your duty is in society, and your moral obligation to successfully accomplish these needs in society. This could involve attending a school PTA meeting, voting, or even something like volunteering. I don’t believe there is a definition of “Good Citizen” in our society.
Good is a very subjective word, and many people can take it different ways. However, for me, a good citizen is one who abides by the laws set forth as well as helping out in any way in the

Snedeker 3 community. A good citizen knows whether something is right or wrong, and makes actions toward that belief. Also, a good citizen should be politically aware, as well as voting on what you believe is the right step toward a better country. I believe that is all it takes to be a good citizen in our society.
It is very important to have civic virtue, mainly because it helps the community out greatly, and shows that you care about where you live and the people around you. An individual's willingness to assume responsibility of the community’s need is a key part to defining our need of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I had a conflict about a few years ago where I got into an argument with my brother. It got very heated and broke out into a fight. During the fight, I asked myself why I was doing this, and what I would gain out of this, except satisfying my rage toward him. I got up and walked out of the house like nothing happened, and removed myself from the situation. If he came outside I would just walk away, not wanting anything to do with him, and waited until my parents got home to scold him. The dilemma here was whether it was morally right to walk away and act like nothing happened, or to keep fighting him to punish him for what he had said. Overall, I think I made the right decision, and it taught me that fighting never solves anything, only peace and understanding.
This assignment was one that actually made me reflect on my life and my past decisions. It made me not only define what I thought was right or wrong, but also how to apply my beliefs to real life circumstances. I already knew what was right and wrong in the past, but I never actually sat down and made a list of how my code of ethics were structured and how they shaped my life. It taught me about what civic virtue was and how greatly it affects our society, as well as putting myself on the scale of Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning. Now that I know how my morals and structured, I can teach people around me, and even my future kids, about how to be a good person and how much of an impact it has on your life and the lives of people around you.