Alejandro Mares
Dr. Rockwell
AP English 11- 4th Hour
12 December 2013
Ethics in Society
Each and every day in the United States or any other part of the world, people are
expected to behave in an orderly fashion, whether it is based on their criteria, rules that must
be followed in order things to run smoothly throughout the day, or in order to set an example
for thousands of other to observe. Everyone must behave in an ethical way, one way or the
other, in order for society to function as one complete piece. However, out of all the citizens
across this earth, students, or the “future” as many others may call them, must act in an ethical
way in order to survive in the “real world”. In this way they also must strive to become
successful and live respectable lives. In order to be an ethical student one must understand the
underlying and deeper meaning to the word “ethics, and how it is represented within the
classroom as well as the consequences that result from it.
Simply put, by the terms of the dictionary, ethics is defined as “a system of moral principles”;
but when we truly look into depth on that meaning, isn’t ethics much more? People today all
live what they believe to be ethical lives, going to work and living by the laws of their country.
Where does this code of conduct begin? Where do people get this sense of living by the rules?
Most will agree that it all begins in our educational system. Students must follow certain rules
throughout their years in school, including rules laid out by teachers in the classroom, and
other simple ones such as dress code for the entire student body. Although this is part of
ethical behavior, that is not all that ethics surrounds in our society. The attitude and charisma
you show, especially students in class, also influences your status as an ethical person because
of the fact that you are engaging in your work and being passionate about something. Just like
being ethical has its benefits, being unethical has its consequences.
Our future begins with the students in our schools. Today, most adults and the mature
population of society see our generation as a group who is outgoing, having social gatherings
and parties that most wouldn’t agree with. With our new adolescents, we have seen an
increase in dropout rates, which could have a correlation with the drop in ethical value of
teenagers in this era. Every day, students are expected to wake up and go to school for about
three-fourths of the year. What if some refused? Making bad choices in life, such as this, will
have its consequences in the future. Maintaining that same attitude throughout one’s life could
be a negative in an attempt to a successful lifestyle, such as finding a steady, high-end job.
Unethical students are rebellious, negating, and don’t strive for success when an obstacle is put
in front of them; they run into it instead and give up.
Ethics can go two ways: being ethical, or being unethical. When anyone practices being
ethical, they will receive the benefits they deserve. Sometimes they may receive more physical,
tangible rewards from parents for getting straight A’s. As well as physical rewards, there are the
subtle bonuses of being ethical and proper. These bonuses consist of always being able to
handle your future, and form your own success. Not to mention the good feeling you get within
yourself when you know you’ve done everything right and are triumphant. It’s always great
self-esteem when you know you’ve performed at your highest ability and were able to
accomplish your goal.
The true meaning of ethics in our society is not written in the dictionary, it is not an easy
term to grasp, and we will all think of ethics in our own way, perceiving our unique meaning of
it. Ethical or unethical, people will look at both in a different way. What one person believes is
unethical, another might not be able to see why, and believe it is completely ethical. In a few
words, one could never contrast these two words, which are an immense part of society today.
The next generation will always be altering and changing, and so will everyone’s perception on
ethics. Ethics will forever be something our society relies on as a social code, and laws could
never be created to sustain its meaning in one simple way trying to control the manipulation of
the ethical code in society.