Ethical Scenario:
So allow me to give you a scenario and you decide what is ethical...
A friend and you are traveling along a road. Your friend is driving, while you've got shot gun. The speed limit on the road is 35 mph, but your friend is cruising at 50 mph. Well, your friend crashes into another car and kills the other driver. The police respond to the scene and ask for your witness report of what happened. How fast do you tell the police officer your friend was driving?
The American culture, we often say around 45 to 50 mph. In our culture it is more common that we believe in honesty. However, in Asian cultures they more commonly say 35 mph. The Asian culture is focused more around loyalty. Loyalty to your friend.
Real Life Scenario:
So now allow me to give you another scenario, one that happened to me.
You are a student body officer and taking the hardest class in your high school, IB Physics. It's during your junior year when grades really matter for when you apply to college. The class is so hard that you, with a 3.9 GPA, are failing the class. While first semester you pulled off a C, the second semester final comes around and you have a D. You sit next to your best friend, Sally (not her real name), in the class and she is doing even worse than you. So on the day of the final, the teacher passes out the test & you are struggling. While only 50% of the way through, Sally is already done, in fact she's the first one. She sits back down and while you are working on a problem, she tells you the answer. You check the answer she gave you and it is right, what do you do?! Eventually you finish the final and it is lunch time. You both head to the library during lunch to study for the next final. While in the library you hear her whisper to another classmate about how she can't believe they were both able to pull off cheating on the final, what do you do?!
My Response: Well, I'll tell you what I did do. When she told me the answer, I checked the answer and she was right. So, I put that answer down on my test. I figured I was smart enough to know the concept and know that was the right answer I would've gotten to eventually. I then whispered back that I did not want her to tell me any more answers. Then, when I heard she'd cheated I told my teacher. My teacher told me that she had an F in the class, yet Sally had been the highest scorer on the final. Sally had only missed one question. She got questioned by the principle, but no evidence was found to hold her accountable. Sally and I were no longer friends.
Reflection: I was a leader in my high school. I was in charge of all the assemblies and running for student body president at the time. Everyone in high school knew me as 'the mormon'. Thus, my actions were watched. I believe how I handled this situation show some of my key values. First, I value integrity and honesty over loyalty. That is why I told the truth to my teacher about my best friend. It also show I value courage and independence. I was courageous to stand up for my beliefs despite the consequences of losing a friend. I was independent enough to be okay without a friend. I valued my family and spirituality more than a friendship. Thus, my religion and my family taught me to always be honest. That I was and in the end, I still have my family and religion. These are my values that are seen through that scenario.
Consequences: My choice resulted in me not having that friendship. As one of the few Mormons, I did not party and did not have many other friends. I had a lonely senior year. However, I was blessed to have the opportunity to grow as a leader and spiritually as Laurel Class President. I was also elected to be Student Body President. Another consequence was that I scored low on my final, since I didn't ask Sally for more of the answers. However, I was blessed to have an ACT score that raised 8 points from the first test to the second. Thus, I was able to still make it into BYU despite my lower GPA. There are consequences to all the ethical choices we make, but what consequences you would rather have reflect your values.
My values:
Courageous:
The confidence to act in accordance with one's beliefs.
Independence:
Freedom from the support or approval of others.
Integrity:
Being truthful and honest in all actions.
Family:
Those who love me unconditionally. Bob, Janet, Rob, Diana, Julia, and Matthew Hild.
Joy:
The emotion of delight and happiness caused by something of exceptional goodness.
Spirituality:
The state or quality of being dedicated to God.
Kindness:
The state of being considerate and helpful.
Influence:
The power of a person to affect the action, behavior, or opinions of others.
My Mission Statement:
I have the courage to be independent in my opinions and beliefs, but do not waiver. I conduct myself with integrity, that others may be able to trust and respect me. My family members are the most important people in my life. I know that my true joy is dependent upon my own spirituality and kindness to others. As I show kindness to those around me I hope to be able to influence them.
So what do you value? What influences your ethical decisions?
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