I said I'd post something about my
Ethics, so here they are, at least a first pass through them.
- Do no unnecessary harm.
- Take only that which is freely given, give only that which is freely accepted.
- Do not misrepresent who or what you are.
- Do what you say you will do.
So let's get some items out of the way
right now, since some of you will insist on capitalizing on certain
words in this list. “Freely” means without coercion or duress,
not without money, so you can leave those jokes at the front door,
please.
Unnecessary harm works like this. If I
render you unconscious, strap you to a table and cut your ribcage
open with a circular saw, I'm committing murder and the harm is
unnecessary. If a cardiac surgeon does the same thing, she's saving
your life and performing necessary harm. If I shoot someone
randomly, and kill them, that's unnecessary. If I shoot someone
because they're about to harm another person, that qualifies as
self-defense and is necessary.
Not misrepresenting who or what you are
is my version of “Don't lie”. The problem is that lying in many
small ways is social lubricant. The cashier at the grocery store who
asks “how are you doing today?” doesn't want a complete rundown
on your aches, pains and frustrations. Saying that you're “okay”,
“fine”, or “surviving” (my favorite) isn't the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth, but it is a more than
acceptable answer to a question intended to promote social harmony
rather than a caring inquiry into the well-being of another person.
Do what you say you will do is pretty
self-explanatory. And the Ethic I have the hardest time with.
Writing this blog is, in part, about saying I'm going to do something
and then actually following through.
How am I doing so far? Three hundred
twenty-three words in this post.
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