For the most part in our modern-day society, there is a grounded and permanent set of ethical rules to follow. In general terms, there is a definition for what is basically right and wrong. We are placed in a society that tells us how to respect and conduct ourselves properly in various situations. Some will argue rules are meant to be broken and will therefore reveal controversy between different ethics and beliefs.
By Tiffany Gilbert
Editor in Chief
For the most part in our modern-day society, there is a grounded and permanent set of ethical rules to follow. In general terms, there is a definition for what is basically right and wrong. We are placed in a society that tells us how to respect and conduct ourselves properly in various situations. Some will argue rules are meant to be broken and will therefore reveal controversy between different ethics and beliefs.
Aside from the general rules that everyone in America has a right to freedom and the right to life, debates and arguments occur frequently about those issues given certain circumstances. Although these issues may not rise in your everyday life, there are smaller controversies that seem to elevate on a day-to-day basis.
For example, in honor of the Lenten season, how do you kindly turn down the wise, elderly man next door who barbecues you a pork chop one Friday afternoon? Out of the goodness of his heart, this non-Catholic-practicing neighbor just wants to offer his kindness. Do you smile sweetly and take that succulent pork chop and slap it on your plate with an ear of corn and baked beans? Perhaps, your perception allows you to see that pork chop as a shriveled, charcoaled piece of temptation and you benevolently decline his offer.
In all actuality, this scenario presents a quirky but accurate sense of an interior battle within yourself. We face everyday challenges of choosing between right and wrong and some are more difficult than others under definite circumstances, which may sway your decision-making towards the wrong way instead of the right way.
As college students, we are professionals-in-training; therefore we are bound to slip-up and make mistakes in the process. Our entire college career is based on learning the correct ways and answers of our majors, but what if you disagree with something you’re taught? Again, you have to decide if you want to go against the grain and pursue what you believe in or follow the paved path of certainty. Even I as editor-in-chief of a university newspaper am still learning the application process of journalism.
Although after almost three years into my heavily pursued journalism major, I recently published a biased news story on purpose. I ignored the rules of calmly stating the facts and threw in my own opinion where it lawfully did not belong. I knew it was wrong from the moment I wrote it to the time I clicked the send button to the printer. Sure, I had a motive for it and I did not do it for revenge or out of pure stubbornness. I did it because I believed it would benefit the topic as well as the readers of the newspaper. I did not want to take the heartless and merciless approach that professional journalists have to abide by, regardless of the situation. I am usually one to follow the rules, but there are certain circumstances when you feel it is necessary to bend the rules, and that is what I did.
Even though you will find yourself disagreeing with the ultimate ethical rule of a situation, it is still important to honor it. There are some U.S. citizens who believe it is ethically and morally wrong for our troops to be fighting in Iraq. There are others who find it necessary, ethically and morally, to be fighting for our country. For those who disagree with the situation, there is a choice of whether you want to stand your ground against war, but support the troops or to stand ground and not support the troops. By honoring and supporting what you believe is an ethically wrong circumstance, can actually have a positive impact on you. In a sense, you’re not being stubborn, but accepting the fact that each controversy cannot be resolved the way you wish.
Sometimes choosing the opposite of what is expected or anticipated can generate a positive outcome. When deciding between the ethical rules and your own beliefs, ask yourself if it will be beneficial in the end. By doing it in spite of someone or something will most likely result in a larger controversy. Analyzing both sides of an issue is the best way to choose an accurate decision. Weighing the pros and cons will help you perceive both opinions and where their original beliefs differ. Who knows, maybe you will be able to turn your back on that juicy pork chop.