Several days back, I happened to witness a very captivating incident around the neighborhood. A snot nose kid was running after a dog that had a piece of meat in its mouth. After a good chase of around ten minutes the kid caught hold of its dog, started bandaging the wounded leg, and followed with a good scolding by the kid against the dog for running away with the piece of meat (without permission). The intrigued act propelled me to ask him if he was after the meat or the wounded dog. He replied, “For both”. This answer of his made me sigh and realize life all over again. In life, we are constantly placed with two difficult choices before us i.e., this or that. During such times do we pick an ethical choice over an unethical one or vice versa? Can we be like the kid to have an ethical conscience to treat the dog’s wound before firing out our anger?
‘Ethics’ is a term that has originated from the Greek word “ethos” which depicts custom, habit, character, or disposition. By which, ethics is defined as a system of moral principles and is concerned with what is good for individuals and society. Ethics is all about the choices we make- the right choice for ourselves and the society we live in.
With so many challenges facing the world today, what can we be doing better? Ethics should elucidate and resolve questions of human morality to defend concepts of right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice, and crime. Ethical living should be the cornerstone of humanity and every religion. The COVID-19 pandemic has so far impacted every aspect of our lives. In these extraordinary times, the economic, social, political, and moral structures that we interact with are all turned upside down. We are thrown into a situation that has catastrophic impacts but these situations also reveal to us things about ourselves that might customarily be operating just below the surface of awareness.
As we are faced with this evolving state of emergency and brace ourselves for its impact, many people are noticing heightened feelings of anxiety and dread. At present, the normal ways of doing things have been upended and we are left to adapt to life under increasing restrictions. In response to new public health information every day, we are being forced to make decisions on the fly and we now have to re-imagine and adjust ourselves with how we work, socialize, parent, learn, teach, consume and live.
At a time when we are faced with the most crucial crises of the decade, ethics in our society is needed now more than ever. The absence of ethical language in our society has led to more chaos, fears, anxiousness, poor decision making, and a substandard response to the pandemic. Beyond any rules, rights, and responsibilities, we desperately need to consider the underlying role of ethics at this time of COVID-19 age. Fundamentally, we need to live with L.I.F.E (Loyalty, Integrity, Fairness, and Empathy). Loyalty and integrity will make one responsible, honest, truthful, and honorable in one’s behavior. Fairness is a value that will make sure that good is distributed justly. Above all, we need Empathy to understand the impact of our actions and those of others when our ethical judgment differs from theirs.
Furthermore, it’s important to consider the 3 Gs which we were always taught to observe (no matter what religion we follow) viz, Grace, Gratitude, and Generosity. To show Grace involves being patient, quick to praise and slow to criticize, and looking for ways to help without making others feel inferior. Rather than criticizing the school curricula and online classes, parents and their wards must show grace to school, administrators, and teachers who are putting extra effort to put together plans for at-home learning. Rather than complaining about the lack of available food on the shelves, consumers must show grace to overworked grocers and workers who are struggling to keep shelves stocked and lines moving. We need to develop grace because when we develop one, we act from our heart without judgment.
Everyone should be grateful (Gratitude) for what you got. There are always things to be grateful for, and it reminds us how beautiful and fortunate our lives are, even under stressful conditions. Interestingly, the practice of gratitude can improve one’s immune function (according to the American Heart Association). The global pandemic is affecting us all, but some of us are suffering more than others. We must all look for ways to stand together and generously contribute (if we are going to survive this pandemic together) to those who are most in need, by extending our helping hands to the working groups, Government, and every needed organization.
Lockdowns are lifting. Lives are gradually restoring. Very tentatively, societies are beginning to put the pandemic behind them (though life is never going to be the same), adapting to the recent changes and living the New Normal. We aren’t done yet and need to genuinely contemplate some of these difficult questions on how to feed ourselves and each other, how to connect, how to access health and education, how and in what manner to contribute to society now, and even beyond the pandemic. This demands a perspective shift, an ethical turn from “me first” to prioritizing the needs of the others. Albert Camus, an influential French intellectual, once quoted "A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon the world". Today, this cannot be stressed enough. At this moment in time, ethical action comes from a sense of responsibility to our fellow humans and a fundamental valuing of all human lives. Living with ethics is an essential responsibility for all, to create a better world. And yes, the best way to live an ethical life isn’t to discover all the answers, but to be willing to wrestle with difficult questions. Now it’s time to Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk and also Walk the Talk.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr. Aniruddha Babar, Dr. Pfokrelo Kapesa, Webei Tsühah, Meren and Kvulo Lorin. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org.
