Human Ethics

All of us live under sets of rules or guidelines. This includes those among us who claim to be their own person (whatever that means). In our work and personal lives, we all have to conduct ourselves within certain parameters of behavior or decorum. It is reality. Subscribing to it  does not necessarily make any of us less as individuals. Even jazz musicians known for a free-style way of playing or improvising work their creative magic within a particular framework dictated by the notes on the song sheet from which they are playing. In communication, human ethics serves as one overriding framework around which many practitioners in this field carry out their responsibilities.

What is human ethics? Basically, it is as fundamental as human nature itself. It revolves around treating others with respect and in good faith; being honest and not deceptive. It refers to pursuing your own goals in ways that do not harm others. At the same time, it involves balancing one's own needs with those of society itself. Sometimes, they may seem to conflict, but how one contends with life's inconsistencies is, itself, a test of a person's ethics. Aristotle once wrote of virtue ethics. Choices people make help define their morality, he said, particularly if they seek a path of moderation - avoiding extremes. In the world of public relations, building and maintaining relationships is the primary goal. In doing this, often times charting out and then following a middle road built on compromise, respectable negotiation, and good faith information sharing is often times the most ethical way to proceed.

With Christmas now literally just a few days away, it certainly does not hurt to remind ourselves of the importance of human ethics. How we stand today as people is often dictated by how well have stood in the past. Communicators may be effective at what they do but if they are not ethical in their behavior, then their overall effectiveness will not have a long shelf-life. If an organizational leader is unethical, then whatever ability they have to dictate the actions of others will not be long-lasting. And if a person like you and me is unethical, then our ability or desire to connect with others will see little success.