A lot of people would say happiness is an overall life goal and that good ethical or moral behavior can lead to a life of happiness. I also believe that Moral and ethical excellence can lead to a very happy life. That is why being a moral person is necessary when living a happy and care free life. I think someone can live a happy life when having certain tendencies to make the right decision at the right time at the right place and in the exact way it needs to be done. Ethics also pertains to not only business but a person’s personal beliefs and decisions in life. Ethics can be seen as a list of rules that not only can contribute to leading an ethical life but can also lead to a more stress-free environment. We can see moral behavior as a road to achieve a more ethical life style, a happier life. Like I said in the beginning of my essay, “Ethics can be seen as a set of rules or values that can contribute to the improvement of a person’s life, for example: honesty, trustworthiness, sense of justice, respect, initiative, responsibility, and more importantly being a person of great integrity.
Since ethics are usually thought of as a list or set of principles and morals to lead a person’s actions or behavior. The implementation of these principles and morals in our daily routines should lead to a very happy life. Everyone faces ethical dilemmas in their life. Our book, “The Legal and Ethical Environment of business” talks about three points in particular:
Although morals and ethics are not precisely measurable, people generally have similar reactions about what actions or conduct can rightly be called ethical or moral.
As humans, we need and value ethical people and want to be around them.
Saying that someone or some organization is law-abiding does not mean the same as saying a person or company is ethical.
I generally believe the first point, from what I’ve experienced in my short life most people have a good grasp on what ethics and moral’s all, what’s good or bad. The second point is also true to me, I try as best as I can to live a moral and ethical life style. I think everyone has their own little exceptions like smoking or gambling but there’s seems to always be a line. The last point is probably most important,” Saying that someone or some organization is law-abiding does not mean the same as saying a person or company is ethical.” Just because something is a law doesn’t make it ethical or moral, there were plenty of laws made that were considered justified but later realized to be cruel or completely unjust. This is where the dilemma of figuring out what’s ethical or moral and implementing those ethics not only in our personal life’s but government and business as well.
When facing the dilemma of figuring out what’s ethical or moral two people come to mind when talking about this, Aristotle and Plato, they’re basically the founding fathers of virtue and integrity, we can’t use a basic principle to decide the right choices to make when confronted with a dilemma. Instead, we must look at what good or virtuous people might do, for these people could possibly be able to really understand the situation and come up with the best decision for everyone. My man Aristotle likes to define happiness as, “(which can only be sought via virtuous means). As being different from sensuous pleasures (which he describes as what we know now are vices). Our function as human beings,” he says, “Is not to pursue pleasures such as sex, money, and rock and roll.” (My words) Aristotle likes to think in more in terms of like animal instincts, but instead to go after virtues knowledge, integrity, honor, courage, commitment, and temperance.
When someone has good character traits for example like: generosity, integrity, friendship, and kindness and uses these particular traits in making ethical and moral judgments and decisions. Most people would usually take pleasure in sacrificing or discarding their own pleasure or comforts for the good of another person or group. They say altruistic behavior is everywhere you go. A lot of people get pleasure out of charity work and going out of their way to perform acts of kindness. Other people like to believe in the pay-it-forward opposition, either way people go out of their way to sacrifice their own comfort, health, and welfare for the good of the group. Examples include; Mother Theresa, a perfect example of sacrificing for the good of humanity, Soldiers who go off to war to make sure the people who’re back home are safe. The only person in-charge of your happiness is yourself. My man Aristotle saw it for what it was, the main purpose of all human life and a huge goal in itself. Aristotle also believed that the only way someone could find true happiness was through a huge range of conditions for example: including physical conditions as well as mental conditions.
I believe that today what most of everyone wants out of life is the realization of achievement of a person’s attributes and talents, there is a basic instinct and drive in everyone to achieve some sort of accomplishment for example a degree, certification, or own business. We strive to find what our purpose in life is and to accomplish that purpose. We give an abundance of time and energy to what is called self-actualization, some of my research would suggest it’s the heist goal you could achieve. Self-actualization is said to be a state in which people are at their greatest.
We make thousands of ethical and moral decisions a week that basically define us for who we are and reflect our character and personality traits. Our government or society makes millions of ethical and moral decisions that try to better our lives and get to what Aristotle calls, “ultimate happiness”. We make these choices and decisions on problems like the homeless rights, medical advances that could extend life. The way we react to these issues shows if we have good ethics, morals, or virtues, this also goes back to my first question, does ethics lead to a happy life? Aristotle doesn’t really believe that someone’s just born with ethics, morals, or virtues but I think that we as human beings are born with some sort of ethical instinct so they know how to act ethically and accomplish what Aristotle calls ultimate happiness. Aristotle often talks of happiness and what he thinks is the true definition of “ethical” is. According to Aristotle, all decisions are made for some reason, good or bad. Some are done for the sake of others, family, friends, or stranger. Aristotle’s view on rational agents automatically decide a intentional goal to their ultimate good, which is of course happiness; it is everyone’s ultimate end goal or at least should be.
The concept that happiness and ethics or morals are related is a very old one, many philosophers, religious, and political leaders have proclaimed for over two millennia that happiness is only enhanced when an individual behaves morally or ethically. The first thing that would improve is moral conduct could lower economic cost like a reduction in corruption or possibly a savings in transaction costs but only if people can be more prone to trusting rather than relying on expensive monitoring. The second could be that people may become more gradually fulfilled or satisfied with their own lives. To put it another way, the suggestion of this topic shows that thought of the so-called ethical norms of our society can hopefully better our comprehension of what could donate to the biased well-being of humans. While everyday issues like income, personal characteristics, and social values play a role in influencing our happiness, so does the personal morals and ethics of humans.