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Mrs. Carroll
American Literature
7 April 2019
10 Rules to Live By
Ethics are the principles that govern one’s behavior or the organization of an activity. In
other words, this can also be known as morality in which one is to discern the difference between
good and bad behavior. Justice is another term that I define as fair treatment and equity. This is
so that we are not impartial towards certain individuals, depending on the relationship that we
have with them. Ethics and Justice are related because they portray the acts of morality and
knowing right from wrong. They also demonstrate the principles of fairness and equal treatment
of every individual in what we feel they deserve. This connects with Ethical Frameworks such as
Consequentialist, Duty, and Virtue Framework. However, the main ethical frameworks that my
To begin, the Consequentialist Framework is one that connects to five of my ten rules
that I created on how to be a good person. This framework focuses on aiming to produce the
most good. One of the five rules that represents this framework is Rule #1, Do No Harm. This
means to not hurt anybody physically, mentally or verbally, in any way to prevent damaging
consequences. Rule number #2 is to Keep Positive Energy and Avoid Negativity, meaning that
one should always maintain a healthy mindset and abstain from indifference. Rule #6 is to Think
Before You Post or Speak. Doing this will guide people to not post or say anything that could
and think about what someone else may feel before saying or acting against them. Rule #10 is to
Practice Morality, meaning that every person should understand the difference in right from
wrong in order to perform the right action. Each of these rules would reflect the type of outcome
I or someone else would want to produce. These rules direct attention to the possible effects that
an action can have in the future on someone or a group of people. I chose these rules in order to
achieve the best consequences that could affect people in a positive way which is also known as
the ethical conduct. In addition, according to the Paideia text titled Excerpt from Justice: What’s
the Right Thing to Do, it talks about the different obligations that connect to the actions that we
take on a day to day basis depending on what we owe to other people. The text states, “They
include the duty to treat persons with respect, to do justice, to avoid cruelty, and so on” (Sandel
1). This indicates the actions that we should take, simply because we are all natural human
beings. This relates to five of my rules as stated above because they identify what one should do
in order to understand what would be the best outcome for most individuals.
Furthermore, the Virtue Framework is one that also relates to the other five of my ten
rules that I created focusing on developing one’s character to be a good person. This framework
has the purpose of making decisions in order to reflect on what kind of person you want to be
and how those actions will reflect your persona. One of the other five of my tens rules that
entitles this framework is Rule #3 which is to Forgive Those Even When They Don’t Deserve It.
This means that everyone should be capable of being merciful towards someone’s wrongdoing
towards you. Not everyone deserves forgiveness, not even me, but I have been taught in my faith
of Christianity to love your enemies and forgive just how God did for us. Rule #4 is to Be
Trustworthy and Honest. This is simply just to tell the truth so that others can see you as
dependable and virtuous. Being trustworthy is being honest and being honest is being
trustworthy. Rule #5 is to Know Your Worth and Never Settle. Many times people, including
myself, have a difficult time understanding that they are worth so much more than they know. As
humans, we often get treated in ways we do not deserve. Knowing your worth is acknowledging
your value as a person and never settling is to never feel like you cannot do any better than what
you’re doing now. Rule #7 is to Practice Politeness and Help Others, meaning that individuals
should strive to always respect people no matter their race, gender, age, or ethnicity. We have to
beings can portray proper manners. Lastly, Rule #8 is to Remain Humble with What You Have.
Humbleness is not being arrogant with what you have achieved or possess such as money. Not
everyone in this world has the same benefits as you. We are all a part of different social class
rankings which is why it is important that we remain modest and maintain a low estimate of our
importance. Each of these rules stated specify the character traits that may motivate someone in a
given situation. To add on, according to the same paideia article titled Excerpt from Justice:
What’s the Right Thing to Do, there is the Obligation of Solidarity in which “they involve moral
responsibilities we owe, not to rational beings, but to those whom we share a certain history”
(Sandel 2). This indicates that take certain actions according to the relationships that we have
with people, depending on your past. These ideas relate to my rules because they distinguish the
way we should behave towards each other since my decisions in life connect with that other
person’s life.
The way I developed this list is based on how I live and the rules and morals I personally
try to live by. I have always been raised to treat others the way I would want to be treated. They
have helped me to grow in maturity in order for people to see me as the good person I am. I had
to make revisions to my initial rules because some of them contradicted each other or connected
in some ways. I did not want any of my rules to be redundant so I made a choice to combine the
To conclude, my life would be much more prosperous if I lived by these rules. Everytime
I decide to take these actions, they will reflect my reputation as well as producing the most good
for myself and those that I surround myself with. Following these rules will help influence others
to do the same in order for our generation to be the best it can be. If everyone lived by these
rules, there will be better future outcomes and people would aim to grow into becoming a better
person. These rules are the morally right thing to do and stand as a standard that all people
should make an effort to be apart of. These rules will help guide you and I to develop character