The world in which we live is currently rife with examples of both ethical and unethical events and situations. All one has to do is turn on the television and watch the news or read their local newspaper. Unfortunately, the number of stories regarding unethical acts usually far outweighs the ethical ones. It seems that in today’s society the virtues of honesty, integrity, and character are being replaced by greed, dishonesty and selfishness. Being accountable for one’s own actions and being dependable when others are in need seem to mean nothing to the majority of people, especially the younger generations of our society. Today’s youth is quickly turning into a society centered on one thing, ME! If something doesn’t directly affect them in a very personal and profound way, they could care less. They are not being taught the importance of helping their fellow human beings when they are in a time of need or to give to people without expecting something in return. Unfortunately, it’s the rest of the world that is going to suffer for their selfish, narcissistic ways. Without empathy and compassion for our fellow man, what kind of a world will we be forced to live in? Having the mentality that it is “every man for himself” or “it doesn’t concern me” will lead to nothing but chaos, ruin and the end of our world as we know it. I will use my first example of an ethical current event to illustrate my point.
On Friday, March 11, 2011 Japan experienced a natural disaster of epic proportions. “Japan was struck with a massive earthquake, which registered a 9.0 on the Richter scale, just off the coast of the northeastern town of Sendai. The center of the earthquake was located off the coast approximately 80 miles east of Sendai and about 231 miles northeast of Tokyo. Shortly after the earthquake wreaked havoc on Japan, a tsunami that resulted from the earthquake slammed against the coast sweeping away cars, homes, businesses, and roads. Millions were left without power, shelter, food and water. There were also thousands left dead, injured or missing,” (Fisher, 2011).
As soon as the United States heard the news of this terrible tragedy, they immediately sent emergency supplies including food, water, medical supplies, and temporary shelters, as did many other nations. Several ships from the U.S. Navy set sail for Japan to assist in whatever ways were needed. In addition, thousands of U.S. and other national organizations started campaigning to raise money and supplies to help those affected by the devastation of this terrible event. They didn’t do it because they thought they could make a profit or make money. They did it because it was the right thing to do. Even though the U.S. is still deeply in debt and trying to recover from a financial crisis, they still sent help and continue to do so. They didn’t ask Japan if they would ever pay them back for all the money it would take to provide this support, they just did it. Again, they did it because it was the right or ethical thing to do. Even China, who has had a long history of animosity with Japan; has set aside their past differences and sent money and personnel to help them in their time of need. When a tragedy of this magnitude happens, it’s not a matter of just people in another country needing help; it’s about our fellow human beings suffering and in need of humanity. These acts of support and generosity were performed by people who understand that acting ethically and responsibly in these types of situations is its own reward and vital to maintaining a civilized, productive society. There should be no expectations of rewards or repayment, only the sentiment of solidarity.
Here are a few tough questions that we, as a society, should consider. If this same situation were to happen in about twenty years or so, would the future leaders of our world, who are now today’s youth, do the same thing? Will today’s youth ever outgrow their belief that the world is theirs to do with as they please and that they owe society nothing? Will they ever learn that being ethical means doing the right thing without regard for one’s own needs or wants and without expecting something in return? Personally I believe our country is heading for huge problems in regards to our children’s lack of discipline, maturity, empathy, and responsibility. Their lack of ethics is absolutely frightening. I know that not all young people have this mentality, but the amount of them that do is staggering. How can a generation of children who have no respect for themselves ever learn to have respect for others? Ethics is a concept that should be taught from an early age and reinforced constantly to avoid a future society of pure narcissism. Forcing a teenager to take one class in high school or college regarding ethics is not sufficient or acceptable. By that age most of the damage is already done and it’s also more difficult to teach them new behaviors at that point. Being ethical is a learned behavior that takes time and reinforcement to develop.
As I said earlier, the world tends to have many more unethical situations than ethical. The current event that will be discussed and used as an illustration of unethical behavior is the current crisis in Libya. “Moammar al-Gadhafi has ruled Libya with an iron fist for roughly the last 42 years. The atrocities this man has committed against his own people, not to mention others, are too numerous to recount. Soon after the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia commenced, Libyans began organizing a similar revolt against Gadhafi. The protests started in the Libyan town of Benghazi in response to the arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel, who was detained a few days earlier in an attempt to stifle growing dissent. Events have increasingly escalated since that day and many Libyan rebels have lost their lives at the hands of the very man who calls himself their leader. On February 22, 2011 Gadhafi was shown on state television inciting violence and attacks between Libyans still loyal to him and anti-government protesters. Today, Gadhafi’s military still advances across the country attacking citizens without purpose or provocation. The current death toll of the protesters in unknown, but is estimated to be well over one thousand,” (The Mark News, 2011).
The recent events that have taken place in Libya are yet another example of the unethical, immoral and corrupt actions of which Moammar Gadhafi is capable. “For decades he has plagued his fellow countrymen with corruption and violence. Gadhafi has also harbored fugitive terrorists; ordered the assassination of Libyan dissidents; and mocked the virtues that civilized societies and cultures hold sacred,” (The Mark News, 2011). One could say that Moammar Gadhafi is the poster child for unethical behavior. In regards to what could have been done to change this situation from unethical to ethical, the world may never know. The world has basically just sat by and watched Gadhafi wreak havoc upon his people. “The U.S. and the United Nations have made a few weak attempts at bringing him to justice and ending his reign of terror, but never with much conviction. The only lasting implications derived from his tyrannical acts were a set of embargoes imposed by the U.N in 1992 which lasted less than a decade,” (The Mark News, 2011).
The only way to prevent acts as unethical and immoral as those that have transpired in Libya is through a unified effort throughout the world. One country alone cannot accomplish this feat. Again, this all relates back to my initial opinion regarding the world’s youth. Ethics, morality, compassion, and empathy for our fellow human beings must be instilled in our children at a very young age and reinforced throughout their lives. People are not born with feelings of hatred, selfishness or racism. They are learned just as any other behavior. Creating a future of moral and ethical people drawn together by civilized cultures depends upon lessons learned today.
