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Andrea Okonkwo
Doctor Rockwell
AP English 11
August 6, 2013
Ethics Essay
An Ethical Individual
An ethical individual is one who practices decent morals, values, and beliefs; an
individual who knows right from wrong. Morals, also described as following the rules of conduct
that one sets for themselves, is when an individual can choose the better, or morally right, choice
when given a situation, rather than the immoral decision. Any human being is able to decipher
whether a situation is wrong or right, but it takes a person who is morally just to choose the right
decision. The way one perceives themselves is a key factor to their values. What is your worth?
How important are you? If one views themselves as a useless, not worthy of respect person, they
will believe that they don’t deserve to have greater standards set for their own self. In other
words, they will believe that their worth is not much, so in favor they believe they don’t deserve
much. Having a faith, or trust in something, is a big part of being an ethical person. Ethics are
mostly defined by religious beliefs, and what a person chooses to faithfully follow. An ethical
person shows that they adhere to their personal beliefs, morals, and value themselves highly.
Now that it is understood what an ethical person is, how does one act as an ethical person?
Every day of life, there are choices thrown at a people, at which they are tested to choose
the best option. The test: are you an ethical person? A moral obligation acts as a rule of conduct
for an ethical person by which they follow. Choosing right from wrong, and following the rules
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is the central focus of a moral and ethical person. Although they might not want to make that
decision, they choose to because it is the most ethical thing to do. Would cheating on this test be
the right thing? Is it okay to lie to a friend? Like said before, it is the simplest thing to understand
a right and a wrong choice, but it is one of the hardest things to actually put a person’s morals
before them and choose the right decision. The amount of value an individual sees in themselves
steers them toward making ethical decisions. Setting high goals, respecting oneself, and viewing
oneself as an important individual shows the amount of value a person holds from themself.
Another way to look at values amongst a person is to understand what they value. If a person
values their family, they will most likely make ethical choices based on their family. Because
religion can be such a wide-ranging focus to people, their faith towards something is major part
of their life and the way they make decisions. There are numerous types of religions that believe
in numerous types of things. Some religious beliefs require individuals to practice and act a
certain way. Not going to church every week can be looked at as unethical to someone who goes
to church regularly. Acquiring respectable values, morals, and beliefs is the way an ethical
person should present themselves.
Being an ethical person is not only the right thing to do, but it is important to exercise
those virtuous decision making skills. The importance of ethics can be appreciated in many
aspects of life. Obtaining admirable ethics are vital for a number of reasons. They provide a
guideline for understanding the conceptions of right and wrong, helping us to have a better
judgment of how to act and react to certain situations. Morally, it is important to follow the rules
and do the right thing with decency. Basically, if a person doesn’t have morals, they will choose
to make damaging decisions in life. A person, who constantly consumes alcohol, engages in
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Violence, affiliated with gangs, uses drugs, or any other type of immortal behavior, is not an
ethical person. It is important to understand that morals are the key factor to most decisions that
an individual makes in their time being. Having high esteem for oneself is essential to the way
they apply their ethics. To view oneself with high value is important in every aspect of life. If a
person does not look at themselves with high worth, they will tend to make choices in life that
lead to negative behaviors; because they view themselves so lowly. An individual setting high
goals only ensures that they will push themselves to the best of their ability to reach that goal. A
person who is discouraging and thinks they’re not good enough or worth any importance, are
setting themselves up to make remorseful conclusions. It is important to obtain high values, and
know that the good decisions made are worth the significance of a person. What is there to trust
in if a person doesn’t have any beliefs? Having faith in something shows devoutness and
dedication. Because a person’s religion has a lot to do with the way they present themselves,
beliefs are important in the way a person makes ethical decisions. Not believing in anything
shows that an individual has no motivational drive to know, achieve, or discover anything in life.
An ethical person is a well-rounded individual when it comes to understanding the importance of
having morals, beliefs, and value and they choose to interpret those factors in every part of their
life.
Most of the time, people are taught at a young age the values and morals that they live by,
but in reality ethics are developed overtime. In order to become an ethical person, it is necessary
to put aside any negative qualities in one’s nature. An unethical individual lacks integrity,
upright values, and respect for others. They can be defined as lazy and tend to have bad “work
ethics”. Someone who shows no obedience to authority and does not follow any beliefs is
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typically an unethical person. Now, to become ethical, one must have strong values, morals, and
beliefs. Following ones’ personal rules of conduct is a way to be moral and ethical. When put in
a tough situation, an ethical person will know right from wrong, and choose the decision that
they are morally obligated to. Being nice to someone who doesn’t necessarily give back that
same kindness is choosing the ethical thing to do. It easy to look at oneself negatively, pointing
out flaws, being hard on the decisions one makes, but when having a high value for oneself, it is
easier to put away those issues and look at the real worth of oneself. To become ethical, it is
critical to have values because the way one perceives themselves has a lot to do with the
decisions they make in life. In order to become ethical, one should have a belief in something. It
doesn’t necessarily have to be a religion, but religions mostly are the guidelines to the way one
makes choices. Before one makes decisions, they should ask themselves, does this make me an
ethical person. Being an ethical person takes integrity, morality, and good judgment of ones
worth.
The dilemmas of right from wrong, how one values themselves, are what ethics are really
made up of. To be an ethical individual is looked at as idealistic, and some may even look at a
well-rounded ethical person as “perfect”. Following one’s own beliefs and values can lead to
becoming successful in life. Viewing oneself with high value can only ensure that an individual
will only want what’s best for themselves. A person who looks at themselves lowly, tend to
make decisions that reflect the way they negatively feel about themself. Religion has a great
effect on the way an individual judges ethical and moral decisions. Depending on what ones
religion agrees with, they might shift towards doing something that relates more to their religion.
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It is important to understand why being an ethical person is the best thing to do. Ethics are taught
to individuals at a young age, but it is a person’s choice whether or not to take into
thoughtfulness and truly apply and learn from what they are taught. If an individual shows that
they abide by their personal beliefs, morals, and value themselves highly, ethics are just a way of
life to them.