Bales 1

Jackson Bales
Mrs. Nelson
Service Learning
2/19/15
Code of Ethics
A persons ethical standards are a defining part of their life. Ethics guide
people in making many of their important decisions in life. The most important
ethical values that govern the decisions I make in my life include; trustworthiness,
respect, responsibility, fairness, and caring. When I think of a trustworthy person I
think of someone who has integrity and who can keep their promises. I strive to be
a credible and reliable friend and worker throughout my life. I want to be viewed as
someone with a good reputation who can always be trusted in every situation.
Respect is treating someone the way you would want to be treated. Dealing with
anger, insults, or disagreements in a peaceful manner is very important to me.
Respect also deals with following the laws and rules set by the authorities even
when they may be in the wrong. A responsible person exhibits self-discipline and
will think before they act. Responsibility also means being accountable and taking
the consequences for your actions. Responsibility and trustworthiness go hand in
hand because they both require consistency and keeping your word. Fairness
means playing by the rules in all circumstances. Being fair also comes with
understanding equality, everyone is equal in this world. When you are fair you are
open minded and will listen to other people and their ideas. A caring person will
know how to show compassion. Forgiveness should come easy to someone who is
caring. Caring should also include helping those less fortunate than you like the
widows, orphans, sick, elderly, and homeless.

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The biggest influence in my life is Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. All my
morals come from me wanting to be more like Jesus. Jesus knew no sin and is the
perfect example of someone with moral values. Jesus exhibited every moral and
ethical value that has ever existed. Ive grown up in a Christian family and Ive
known about Jesus my whole entire life. When I was younger I based my morals
and decisions off of what my parents taught me from the Bible. As I have grown up,
I have based my decisions and morals from my own experiences and knowledge of
the Bible. My parents have played the biggest role in shaping my beliefs and values
by teaching me about the Bible and Jesus. In the Bible, there is a great example of
a set of values that God wants His people to follow. This example is known as the
Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are still relevant today and are
something that helps define my morals and decisions.
Civic virtue is when a citizen is dedicated to the improvement and betterment
of their community. A person with civic virtue would even give up their interests for
the common good of their community. A good citizen is someone who respects the
community around him and does his best to help improve the community as a
whole. A good citizen will also be willing to sacrifice their needs for the needs of
others in the community. Its important to have civic virtue because what good is a
community with citizens that dont care about it. To run a successful and thriving
community you need citizens who are willing to dedicate their time and lives for the
general welfare of the community. Without civic virtue communities would fall apart
into chaos.
Ive faced many ethical dilemmas in my life, but one that stands out to me is
about one of my good friends. This friend of mine was doing some bad things that
werent beneficial to their life. They had become friends with some kids who where

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a bad influence on them in many different ways. I was in a dilemma because I
cared about my friend but I didnt want them to get in trouble. If I told their parents
about the situation they might get in trouble and I might lose my friend. On the
other hand, if I didnt tell anyone what was going on my friend might get hurt or
make bad decisions that could ruin their life. I decided to confront my friend and
tell them that what they were doing wasnt right and it was leading them down a
bad road. My friend realized that they were making some mistakes and was able to
stop making bad decisions. The parents of my friend helped my friend get out of
the whole situation and it couldnt have ended any better. In that situation the right
thing to do was risk my friendship to help save my friend from a bad situation. I
cared more about my friends well-being than our friendship.
Its very important for each individual to have a code of ethics because
without one they have no guidance in their decisions. Someone without ethics
doesnt care about right or wrong and has little value for other people. God wants
us to follow Jesuss example and live like He did. Jesus valued human life and cared
deeply for everyone. I strive to live by that example every day.
Through writing this code of ethics Ive learned that my ethics are one of the
most important parts of my life. My ethics are tied directly to my faith in Jesus and
the impact He has on my life. This assignment has taught me to think deeper about
what I believe in and how I can affect the community around me in a positive way.