LESSONS ON EXCELLENCE

HSSTS101_121_0717

Situation Ethics

Situational ethics, or situation ethics, takes into account the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically,
rather than judging it according to absolute moral standards. In situation ethics, within each context, it is not a
universal law that is to be followed, but the law of love.

Example

A drunkard was walking by the street, suddenly he slipped. Will you help him?

It is not a mandatory thing (no rule) to help the drunkard, because he is seen as a bad influence by the society. Yet, one
chooses to help him out of compassion and love. This is an example of situation ethics.

Integrity –listen to conscience

Integrity is the qualification of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. It is generally a
personal choice to hold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards.

It is the moral quality which is chosen and exhibited strongly by an individual despite any kind of situation.

Integrity means following your moral or ethical convictions and doing the right thing in all circumstances, even if no
one is watching you. Having integrity means you are true to yourself and would do nothing that demeans or
dishonours you.

The definition of conscience is a personal awareness of right and wrong that you use to guide your actions to do right.
An example of conscience is the personal ethics that keep you from cheating on an exam.

Example

Mr. Mahesh, a College Student went out along with his friends. He is a non-smoker. His parents have brought him up in
a conservative manner. But, his friends forced him to smoke, convincing him that it is for fun and just a one-time trial.
In spite of compulsion from friends, Mahesh did not yield to smoking he had strong conscience that the act was wrong.
Thus, he held his integrity despite the circumstances forced him to.

Stand up to what is right:

Whistleblowing

A government employee who exposes corruption practices within his department is a whistle blower. So is an
employee of a private organization, who raises his voice against misconduct, within the company.

The misconduct can be classified in several ways, such as:

 Violation of Indian laws.

 Posing direct threat to public interest(Fraud, corruption)
 Violation of health or safety norms.
 Deceptive practices.

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LESSONS ON EXCELLENCE

HSSTS101_121_0717

Wisdom in a Nutshell from Who Moved My Cheese?

• Anticipate change.

• Adapt quickly.

• Enjoy change.

• Be ready to change quickly, again and again.

• Having Cheese makes you happy.

• The more important your Cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.

• If you do not change, you can become extinct.

• Ask yourself “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?”

• Smell the Cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

• Movement in a new direction helps you find New Cheese.

• When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.

• Imagining myself enjoying New Cheese, even before I find it, leads me to it.

• The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find New Cheese.

• It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situation.

• Old beliefs do not lead you to New Cheese.

• When you see that you can find and enjoy New Cheese, you change course.

• Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.

• Read the Handwriting on the Wall

• Change happens. They keep moving the Cheese.

• Move with the Cheese and enjoy it!

Who Moved My Cheese?

Everyday Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry went about their business collecting and eating cheese. Every morning, the mice
and little men put on their jogging suits and running shoes, left their homes, and raced around the maze looking for
their favorite Cheese.

They each found their own kind of cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C. Every
morning the mice and men headed over to Cheese Station C and soon they established their own routines.

Sniff and Scurry woke up early everyday, always following the same route. The mice would arrive at the station, tie
their running shoes together, and hang them around their necks so they could get to them quickly whenever they
needed to.

Hem and Haw followed the same routine for a while, but later on, they awoke a little later each day, dressed slower,
and walked to Station C, always assuming there would be Cheese waiting for them. In fact, the little people put away
their running shoes, and grew very comfortable in Station C. Later, this over-confidence turned into arrogance.

The mice, on the other hand, always inspected the area, and noticed the Cheese supply was getting smaller every day.

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