Let's get ethical

Our Public Relations Principles class was assigned an interesting assignment this week: write our own Code of Ethics. Sometimes I have a hard time always living up to mine (occasional gossip? Totally guilty), and found this exercise to be eye-opening. It's not that most of these things aren't common sense, or of the general "be a good person" variety, but sometimes I don't reflect on the obvious.

I'm going to (try and remember to) print them out and hang them on my bulletin board as a constant reminder of what I'm striving for and how I should be treating existence (humans, animals, the planet, myself, etc).

Hannah's Code of Ethics

Embody Compassion

1. Respect for living beings
a. As inhabitants on this world, we are all equal
b. Abstain from causing unnecessary physical and emotional harm to animals and humans
i. Humans: Avoid violence of the body (except in self-defense), avoid violence of the lips (gossip, malicious words, etc)
ii. Animals: If I do not need to be the cause of an animals death (meat products) or suffering (non-free range dairy products), then abstain

2. Respect for truth
a. Do not deceive others (unless to present a surprise) or self

3. Advocate equality
a. Value The Declaration for Human Rights
b. Act on behalf of the socially, economically, physically, politically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally oppressed
c. Impassion and educate others

4. Advocate the Earth
a. Reduce carbon footprint/negative impact whenever possible
b. Impassion and educate others
c. Spend time in nature


Seek Personal Growth

5. Be free
a. Do not develop emotional attachment to objects or places
b. “Want,” but do not “need”
i. Do not return to smoking/addictions

6. Be open
a. Always be open to new ideas, experiences, beliefs, etc.
b. No one can be 100 percent certain they’ve found the (only) truth

7. Pursue truth
a. Use science, wisdom and personal experience to discover truth
b. Truth is relative

8. Pursue enlightenment and awareness
a. Clear the mind
i. Meditate
ii. Abstain from frequent use of alcohol
1. Takes away clarity, clouds the essence and does not promote creativity or new perspectives
b. Follow The Eightfold Path as a guide
c. Foster creativity in self and others
d. Practice active observance