Ethics-Governance: Article: A Question of Ethics by William F. Traester

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A Question of Ethics by William F. Traester A Question of Ethics by William F. Traester, CPCU, member, CPCU Society Ethics Committee Do the Right Thing Some years ago, an oft-heard phrase was "Do the right thing." At some level, ethics can be reduced to doing the right thing or refraining from doing the wrong thing. Doing or not doing involves choices. We all have the power within ourselves to make the right choice or to make the wrong choice. Often making the right choice is not easy. Daily, we are reminded by the media that there are many among us who do not do the right thing. Often when the right thing has been done, such as the return of misplaced property to its owner, a reward is not only expected but rather it is demanded. When we are not rewarded for doing the right thing many people feel like they have been short-changed. Some even feel that the lack of a reward is a punishment, such as in the expression: "No good deed ever goes unpunished." Acting in an ethical manner should bring us peace, even when it hurts from a material standpoint. If we do not, or cannot, accept that acting in an ethical manner is good, studying ethics may be a waste of time. We will never have the peace that doing the right thing should bring. Ethics should not be a theoretical exercise. Knowing the Right Thing It is possible to study ethics and to become an academic expert in the subject without being an ethical person. With respect to ethics, doing the right thing is of paramount importance. Knowing the right thing is much less important than doing the right thing. In fact, there are many ethical people in this world who do the right thing without ever having studied ethics. Full Article: http://www.cpcusociety.org/fil...824/QuesofEthicsSeptOct04.html


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