What ideals do you hold high in your life? What are the principles that you hold close to your heart and regard as inviolable? How devoted are you to these principles? From whom did you pick these ideals?
More often than not ,these principles are imbibed on your mind by those close to you since your childhood. These principles guide one when making key decisions in life. Also, the precepts that are paved by these principles are a great succour when facing difficult times
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However, have you really scrutinised how dedicated the ones you pick these principles from are to these ideals? If you are really unbiased and have consience to examine the ones close to you without any parti pris ,you will realise that the ones you hold in high estemm have themselves faltered on the principle they have taught you
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It is really painful to realise that those whom you regarded as heroes are humans afterall. It is even more excruciating to learn that they are unaware of their shortcomings.
Then, it turns out to be a big ordeal to be balanced in your own conduct and let not your relations be hampered by your judgment. At the same time one has to charter his or her own way without being influenced by anything other than one's own conscience. What say?
friendly_freak
This is a question of ethics, is it? Can a person really describe their ethics to another? I don't think so. It's like asking someone what they dream about. You can give one or two examples, but you could never describe the full spectrum of moods and feelings and half-thoughts that make up a dream.
In the same way, someone's ethics are not a set number of rules. They are just how that person responds each and every situation. Sometimes they conflict. For example... You are an elected member of parliment. The people who elected you want you to take a stance on abortion that you personally are opposed to. What do you do? Your ethics dictate that you should be justified in going with your own view on abortion, but then again, you don't represent yourself, you represent the voters. And you see what they think as wrong....
So there is no black and white with ethics. Nobody can have perfect judgement. As you say, we are all human. But we used to be monkeys, and maybe one day we'll replace ourselves with something better. That would be good; non-genetic evolution. A new type of mind created by the developement of our philosophies...oh but that's just fantasy. What was you're question again?