Moral and Ethics in Everyday Life.

In the facet of corruption there has been a widespread talk about morals and ethics, not only
corruption, gender discrimination, women harassment have too raised the issue, has ethics ever
existed in our society? Why in the first place we need morals and ethics? Actually morals and
ethics were never needed, but to uphold the righteousness and ensure there is peace, it was
always essential to have morals and ethics in our so called society.
What exactly are morals? Morals are the principles; they are the principles of right and wrong.
Something that is right, right for the people and society in which they interact is all about being
moral whereas, the ethics are the rules that ensure the existence of morals. Ethics are the right
way of doing the work, and together morals and ethics are the pillars of survival of any
civilization. They are the bearers of trust, the trust among the people which is essential for
peaceful existence.
Let us imagine for a moment that there is no morality. That means that any one is free to steal,
kill other person, fight and cause harm to any other person. So this means that there would be no
peace. And no peace infers to the decay and destruction of society as a whole. So morality and
ethics have become a pressing issue today. This has become more important in this current era,
where the person today believes nothing is more important than the greed for self. From the
primary education to the degree today can be earned through money. This shows how corruption
has consumed our lives. Everything we want in a moment, this has further aggravated the
corruption.
Morals and ethics are interrelated. They are not something which a government can enforce on
individuals. They go in conjunction, that is both government and society have impact on ethics
and morals. Consider an example of having clean and neat surroundings. This is in light of
Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan. Can really cleanliness be imposed? I believe no, cleanliness and
keeping surroundings neat cannot be imposed, in spite it being a moral obligation of every
citizen. But there exists one truth; if you provide the citizens the proper pathway for disposal they
would definitely follow that. This is especially evident in cities like Mysore and Navi Mumbai
where provision of dustbins at streets have made the citizens to dispose in dustbins rather than
opting for throwing on streets. So, it was essential in place that government provides an active
support and morals and ethics would definitely be imbibed in the people.
Morals are the pathway for peace and ethics gives the guidelines to implement the morals. More
broadly speaking, today we are consumed by the ways the western countries follow. We copy
them to our modest. We believe seeing things their way, we have broadened our vision towards
the world, but in the process we have narrowed our mind. While going out to mall, I have seen
people throwing the paper, plastic and empty food packets that were lying in their car and driving
away. This is the situation of literate people who are narrowed by their senses.
Morals are nothing that we need to be taught of or we need to learn. They are the basic essence
of life that speaks of our obligation towards humanity. What is the purpose of being a human but
not being human in real terms? We are moreover consumed by ignorance and arrogance despite

our history speaks about the Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram. Today in this world of rat race we
have forgotten ourselves to such an extent that, even if we see someone falling at roadside, we
would not even bother to think to help.
Closing down, morals and ethics are integral part of life; imagine you going to the theatre and
everyone fighting for tickets. Thus we to an extent in our life still follow morals to live collectively
in society. Morals and ethics are something that cannot be enforced but could be imbibed by
society and government together.

2nd article

Life is the process of self-sustaining and self-generating action. Life requires

action, and action requires values. Philosophy in general, and ethics in particular,
attempt to answer the questions, "What do I do?" and "Why?" People study
philosophy so they can know how to live their life.
So that you can live life successfully and happily, you must learn which values to
hold and how to achieve them -- this is your life as your moral standard. All moral
questions (questions of right action) are questions of how to live happily and
successfully, and all moral principles must be measured against how they promote
and benefit your life and happiness. Your life as your moral standard holds all
things promoting your life as the good.
To every living thing, there is one primary choice, and that is to live or not -- to
engage in the action required to further its own life or to engage in action that
destroys its own life. The only other alternative is death. Choosing life as your
standard of value is a pre-moral choice. It cannot be judged as right or wrong; but
once chosen, it is the role of morality to help man to live the best life possible.
The opposite of choosing life is altruism: the moral doctrine that holds death as its
moral standard. It holds sacrifice as the only good, and all things "selfish" as evil.
According to altruism, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as it does not further
your life it is considered good. The more consistently a person is altruistic, the
closer their actions are to suicide. The consistent altruist will give up every bit of
food he owns to other people because that is what he considers good, and die
because of it.
Your life as your standard does not mean Hedonism -- the spur of the moment
instant gratification, doing whatever you feel like. Your life as your standard means
acting in yourrational self-interest. Rational self-interest takes into account the
long-term effects of every action.

Your life as your standard does not mean trampling on other people to get what you
want. This is not in your rational self-interest. It is in your interest to
be benevolent.
Nor does your life as your standard mean cheating people to get ahead, even if they
don't realize it and you never get caught. Fraud is not in your rational self-interest
because you lose your independence and you sacrifice honesty to an unreality that
you have to maintain to perpetrate your fraud. This is self-destructive in the long
run.
In order to know what is good, which actions are objectively in a person's selfinterest, we develop virtues which are principles of action.
3rd article
Morality and ethics
Morality refers to the social norms and values that guide both individuals and their interaction with
their fellow human beings and communities, and with their environment. In all of these types of
interaction there are important values at stake; rules and norms that are to protect these values;
duties implied in social roles and positions that can foster these values and further these rules; and
human virtues or capabilities that enable us to act accordingly. These moral factors are usually
interwoven with religious practices and social power structures.
Ethics is a systematic and critical analysis of morality, of the moral factors that guide human conduct
in a particular society or practice. As fisheries represent an interaction between humans and the
aquatic ecosystem, fisheries ethics deals with the values, rules, duties and virtues of relevance to
both human and ecosystem well-being, providing a critical normative analysis of the moral issues at
stake in that sector of human activities.
When actual moral values, rules and duties are subjected to ethical analysis, their relation to basic
human interests shared by people, regardless of their cultural setting, is particularly important. Moral
values may change, and moral reasoning asks whether the practices that are traditionally and
factually legitimated by religion, law or politics are indeed worthy of recognition. Indeed, the
development of ethics in the past century has been characterized by a tendency to revalue and
overthrow the moral conventions that have guided the interaction between the sexes, between human
beings and animals and between human beings and their environment. A more recent task of ethics is
to resist those tendencies of globalization, marketization and technologization that erode both
biodiversity and valuable aspects of cultural identity - and may even have effects that threaten human
rights. Although these tendencies are often presented as value-neutral, they carry with them hidden
assumptions that are potential sources of inequity and abuse.
Basic human interests
Welfare implies material well-being, as well as the conservation of a productive ecosystem, and
relates to fisheries as a provision of food and livelihood.
Freedom, or human self-determination, relates to access to fishing resources, fishers' self-control
and other life options related to fisheries.

 Justice relates to the distribution of the benefits of fishing and to the ownership of scarce resources.
In attempting to identify which traditional and innovative practices are worthy of recognition, a moral
argument asks whether - and how - actual moral factors further the well-being of human and nonhuman creatures. Moral reasoning always relates to the basic interests of humans and other sentient
beings and to the value of the environment that sustains both human and non-human life.
An ethical analysis can play an important part in identifying human and nonhuman interests and the
value of the ecosystem as a whole. It also asks how these values and interests may be threatened or
undermined and how they may be furthered or protected. Ecosystem well-being is of crucial
importance both in itself and for basic human interests and long-term social benefits. In this
document, the main focus is on the way in which fishing policies and practices affect the living
conditions, interests and well-being of fishers and fishing communities, as well as the well-being of the
ecosystem. This is in keeping with sustainable development, the dominant concept of environmental
ethics, enshrined in the FAO concept of responsible fisheries.
Basic human interests
A major aspect of an ethical analysis of fisheries must be to clarify the human interests and social
benefits that can be considered necessary conditions for leading a decent human life. Basic human
interests are related to the main tasks that humans need to undertake in life in order to satisfy their
needs and lead their lives in coexistence with others. In line with classical ethical thought, these
interests can be divided into three main categories: (i) Welfare: People need basic goods to survive
and care for their offspring; (ii) Freedom: People seek to regulate their own affairs and realize their life
plans in accordance with their own or culturally defined values; (iii) Justice: People need to find ways
to share social benefits and burdens and facilitate peaceful coexistence.
In this context, moral analysis aims to show, for example, how the human interests in welfare,
freedom and justice are relevant and how they relate to social benefits in the management of
fisheries.
These basic interests are intricately connected to the capabilities necessary for leading a decent
human life and, thus, to the vulnerabilities against which people must be protected. They constitute
the moral values that moral reasoning aims to defend, e.g. by framing fundamental principles that
serve to guide our moral interaction and to protect basic moral interests.
At the most general level, the related vulnerabilities against which people must be protected
are: poverty, domination and injustice.
Fundamental principles of bioethics
Although different ethical theories may have different priority principles and reasoning behind them, a
consensus has been forming about the main principles of bioethics: [1]

Human dignity, human rights and justice, which refers to the duty to promote universal respect
for the human person. In the context of fisheries, this principle relates, for example, to fishers'
self-determination, access to fishing resources and the right to food. It is best represented by
a rights-based approach in ethics that emphasizes the protection of the personal domain of
each individual. It may require, however, the establishment of individual or community rights,
the exact nature of which will depend on local conditions.

Beneficence, which concerns human welfare, reducing the harms and optimizing the benefits
of social practices. In the context of fisheries, this principle needs to be observed when the
effects of policies and practices upon the livelihoods of fishing communities are evaluated.

The principle relates to working conditions (safety on board), as well as food quality and
safety. The issue of genetically modified organisms should also be addressed in this context
(FAO, 2001b). This principle invites an ethical approach to fisheries that puts consequences
to general welfare in focus.

Cultural diversity, pluralism and tolerance, which relates to the need to take different value
systems into account within the limits of other moral principles. The pressing moral issues in
fisheries take different shapes across different cultures, and it is an important moral demand
that people themselves define how their interests are best served in a particular cultural
setting. This principle squares well with dialogical ethics, which stresses the actual
participation of those concerned.

Solidarity, equity and cooperation, which refers to the importance of collaborative action,
sharing scientific and other forms of knowledge, and nondiscrimination. In the context of
fisheries, this principle underpins the moral imperative to eradicate poverty in developing
countries and ensure equity within fisheries and between sectors. It also requires transparent
policies and stresses the need to reduce the gap between producers and consumers. This
principle is relevant at the level of policy as well as at the individual level of virtues and
professional duties to further trust and tolerance among stakeholders.

Responsibility for the biosphere, which concerns the interconnections of all life forms and the
protection of biodiversity. This principle stresses that ecosystem well-being is a sine qua
non condition of sustainable fisheries providing for the needs of future generations, as well as
for the lives of those who currently rely on the natural environment and are responsible for its
use. This principle combines ethical reasoning based on rights and on consequences for
human welfare, as well as on individual virtues and duties to respect the environment.

4th article

Importance of Moral & Ethics Values in our Lives

Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a

person of value. -- Albert Einstein

The moral values in life hold great importance from the point of personal,
social and spiritual development. Values, morals and ethics are
inextricably tied together. Values are what we learn from childhood; the
'stuff' we acquired from our parents and immediate surroundings. Values
are the motive power behind purposeful action. Moral values are meant
for making the quest to find the higher self an easier. Unfortunately, many
amongst us may find it difficult to follow values such as truthfulness,
honesty, forgiveness in our lives because we have not perceived the
subtle gains that come to us by following these values. Or, maybe, we are

careless to realize the importance of values in life. Ethics, on the other

hand, are how we actually do behave in the face of difficult situations that
test our moral fiber. Ethics are the code or principles on which ones
character depend.
Ethics and character are closely related. Values are essential to ethics
develop at an early age and can be instrumental to building character.
The quality of our lives is not determined by the happenstance of genetics
or by the influence of environment; it is not measured in material
possessions or in the trappings of youth; it is not dependent on
personality or social acclaim. On the contrary, the intrinsic value of the
lives we lead reflects the strength of a single trait: our personal character.

Russell W. Gough, author of book titled: Character Is Destiny, describes

the steps to personal growth from examining our lives to taking
responsibility for our actions, from discarding selfishness to embracing the
greater good, from becoming a better role model for our loved ones to
finding the courage to do the right thing naturally and consistently. By
cultivating the habits of virtue, we will strengthen not only ourselves but,
more important, our families and our world.

Whereas, morals are the intrinsic beliefs developed from the value
systems of how we 'should' behave in any given situation. Moral values
are the standards of good and evil, which govern an individuals behavior
and choices.

The preservation of human life is the ultimate value, a pillar of ethics

and the foundation of all morality. Author Unknown

We Indians are very religious and we lavishly spend on religious

celebrations and pray for our well-being. But we rarely bother for ethics
without which we cannot move even an inch towards true religion or get

any favour from God. In daily life, we conveniently forget the real spirit of
religion and work for petty personal gains.

Ethics is a branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human

conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of our actions and
to the decency and wickedness of the motives and the ends of such
actions. Every religion prescribes high ethical standards and values. But
few followers pay any heed. We are deviating from true religion and
focusing more on external rituals.

Ethical conduct is the foundation-stone of every religion. As per Sikhism

there are five basic elements of ethics. These are: Wisdom, Truth,
Temperance, Humility, Courage, Justice, and Contentment. Four of the
eightfold path of Buddhism right speech, right action, right livelihood
and right effort are all about ethical conduct. Chapter 13 of Bhagvat Gita
elaborates the 20 values that Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna. These values
are fundamentally necessary for a seeker to prepare the mind for the
knowledge of the Self. One of these values is Arjavam which means
straightness, it means conducting oneself accordance with ones ethical
standard. Arjavam means an alignment of thought, word and deed.These
are the rudimentary requisites for proper practice of any religion. Ironically
our concern for religion is conveniently oblivious of these elementary
requisites.

Guru Nanak De Ji, founder of the Sikh Faith, was asked over five hundred
years ago, as to which was the greater of the two religions prevalent in
India then, Hinduism or Muslim? He replied that without morality both will
be
losers.
Spirituality can help us become better human beings if we follow the
general moral codes with devotion. It prepares our body and mind, to
receive God's inspiration. It also transforms our thinking, speech, and our
actions that form virtuous habits that determine our moral character. One
cannot be spiritual with out good character. Character is a combination of
qualities that make an individual ethically admirable.

-

Anrahu je paij bhar un anar fail. Asa irath je nvh urai nh
mail. Jin pat anar bhar gua e bale sansr. in nehu lag rab se
ekne
vcr.
Those who are false within, and honorable on the outside, are very
common in this world. Even though they may bathe at the sixty-eight
sacred shrines of pilgrimage, still, their filth does not depart. Those who
have silk on the inside and rags on the outside, are the good ones in this
world. They embrace love for the Akal Purkh, and contemplate beholding
It. -----Guru Nanak in Asa Di Vaar (SGGS, Page, 473-15).

People in the Western countries may not be very religious, but by and
large, they are honest in daily life. They have a high sense of integrity and
they take pride in that. Whereas, in India majority of us have lost faith in
our religious leaders so called professional gurus who are only after
gaining prominence and luxurious living without divine realization. Should
we lose faith in ourselves also and be carried away by the stream of
unethical practices or stand upright? We ought not to forget that
unselfishness, honesty and humility are more paying regarding
contentment and spiritual fulfillment. If we follow this path that represents
the true spirit of any religion, then we can serve our nation in a better
way. Why should we follow professional gurus, who have lost moral values
and are only interested in name & fame and acquiring assets without any
sense of responsibility? Believe me with adequate integrity, sincerity,
devotion to duty and humility; we can improve our community as well as
our quality of life. I can say that when we live our lives according to moral
values that are based on honesty, compassion, courage, modesty, and
forgiveness, then we can also form positive bonds with other people.