Values and Ethics
Every company needs values and ethics to function. Values are items that an individual, organization, or group regards as being extremely important. One needs clearly articulated values in order to realize their goal. Stewardship, care, professionalism, integrity, and teamwork are among the fundamental values that are necessary for growth. In other words, values represent what a society stands for and dictate how each member of that society should conduct themselves. When we concentrate on principles, we must also consider ethics. The morally responsible behaviors of a person are determined by their ethical beliefs. There are three divisions of ethics, i.e., meta-ethics dealing with the philosophical meaning of moral propositions, normative ethics focuses on practical ways of how the moral course of action is determined. The third category is the applied statics, which deals with what an individual is obligated to do in case they land themselves in a particular situation. This paper combines some values and ethical beliefs in describing personal life experiences. These values are based on family life, religion/faith, love life, and job.
Lessons from Childhood
While I was growing up, I was taught different lessons. Some I was instilled by my parents, some I learned from others' experiences, and some I had to encounter the real situation. These lessons are on what is considered morally right and wrong. The best way to reflect on values and ethics is to focus on decisions made and the kind of outcomes it yielded. Any decision you make in life will have a consequence may it be positive or negative. These results serve as lessons and sharpen one in the next decision. I was brought up in a Christian family that was so strict on biblical teachings. My father used to work with the United States Air Force but retired in my early 20's. My mother was a primary school teacher. I am the last born to a family of three children two boys and one girl. Despite tight work schedules, my parents ensured that the family was united most of the times. On weekends, my father spent his better time at home and went to Sunday services together. My father would spare about an hour talking to his children on virtues of life. When I attained 19 years, my father encouraged me to join Airforce, something that was not among my career options. However, later I developed a passion for the job and am very proud of it.
Values and Ethics in the Military
In my tender age, I used to visit my parents at their workplaces. My father had Senior Airman Rank hence was working under the supervision of Staff Sergeant, Technical Sergeant, and the Master Sergeant. Humility and respect is a virtue that a soldier must portray when in the presence of his/her seniors. My father would ignore our presence and salute these staffs whenever we came across them. It does not matter whether it is a weekday or a weekend, at military camp or on vacation or even on army gear or on civilian clothes. Every time he did so in our presence, he would always find a story to narrate to us. Majority of the times are when the story would fail to make sense since I was a toddler and fictions were less of importance.
Lessons Learned and Values Passed Down
Now being a grown up I freely narrate these stories to others and can attribute the values our parents taught. My father had the responsibility of taking care of various weapons present in the barrack. Some of this equipment includes planes and jet fighters worth millions of US dollars. Whenever I visited him, he would advise me that honesty and openness is the critical value in such scenario. People can be tempted to vandalize and steal little items that cannot be easily recognized immediately, but this selfish desire can land them in problems once caught. Whenever my father and other soldiers were engaging themselves in community activities such as bridge constructions, rescue activities and environmental cleaning exercises, teamwork would make these duties easier. The soldiers would divide themselves into smaller troops and plan on how to handle the task. My father was one of the troop leaders. Perhaps this is the reason why he was promoted from Airman First Class to Senior Airman Rank.
Lessons from Parents
My mother being an upper classes teacher would wake up very early. She would prepare us for school and rush to school. It was her daily routine, and she seems very jovial every morning. Well, waking up so early is not easy. Mum would encourage us by saying that if you love your work and have a vision that motivates you, and then you will get used to hard work. It is ironical that my siblings and I attended the same school mum taught, but she would leave the house very early, and by the time we got to school, she was already there.
Role Models and Selflessness
Secondly, at school mother was not much concerned with us. If one of us landed into a punishment, then he/she would be treated as any other student. If in any case, mother spots us doing the penance, then one was sure that in the evening he/she would be questioned or even punished again. Mother tried to teach us that selflessness is very crucial in any work you involve yourself in. According to Maister, Galford and Green (2012) loving your career will motivate you to go an extra mile to ensure that you achieve your daily goal. Secondly, the mother was teaching us to be role models so that other students can emulate our behaviors.
Values in the Church
On Sundays, my father ensured that every member of the family woke up early and prepare for the church. He would remind us that we should put God first in each endeavor we have in life. Observing Sabbath is one of the ways of respecting and glorifying God. My mother sang in the choir; my father was the project coordinator that time in my tender age. Well, I came to learn that in church my parents would put aside their careers and associate with other church members in a friendly manner. It teaches that despite our high ranks or levels of education we still require our friends, colleagues, and family members to develop the community in unison. Various charity activities took place in the church including visiting the elderly, the orphans and raising funds for the sick and the less fortunate people in the community. The values portrayed here include love, teamwork, and selflessness.
Religious Values and Personal Growth
Right from birth, I was introduced to Christianity. Teachings began right from Sunday school on how to relate with one another and to do the will of God. I was also introduced to secular values such as wealth, power, revenge, fame, vanity, and status. I was taught that all these values promote resentments, jealousy, and conflicts among one another (John 8:44, New King James Version). I was taught only to worship God our father, have respect for all people, be humble, be honest, and live a moral life full of generosity. On top of that practice what I preach, avoid holding grudges and forgiving one another. These virtues have played a significant role in shaping the person I have become today. I am currently a church member of the same church and have a close relationship with the church clergies. My spiritual growth can be attributed to that specific religion.
Boarding School and Real-Life Lessons
On attaining 14 years, I joined boarding school, which limited the time I associate with parents, family members, and church members. Boarding school also played a significant role in teaching me real-life situation. Here I was prepared to rely on myself of the basic grooming and learning processes. Secondly, it exposed me to different students from around the continent. It helps in learning the diversity present among different people. Boarding school made me bold since I had to face varied challenges such as bullying and spending most of my time away from family members. I also had to cope with homesickness just like any other boarding school child (Fisher, Frazer and Murray, 1986). After my college education, my father introduced me to the Airforce as a Cadet. Here we were under rigorous program and tuff training. My father had already advised me on what to expect therefore I adapted very fast.
Military Service and Growth
Majority of the students whom we had joined did not manage to complete the training and left the camp one after the other. This training made me firm on my relationship with people. It prepares me to be ready and serve my nation by protecting them from any attack. After my training, I was stationed at Beale Air Force Base at Marysville. Being a cadet, I enjoyed various benefits such as accessing low-cost life insurance program, monthly stipend, and interest-free loans in case of emergencies. Beale Air Force Base hosts the 9th Reconnaissance Wing part of the Twelfth Air Force. This base homes four categories of soldiers. Immediately I joined the base, I was placed in the 9th Maintenance Group dealing with flight line maintenance, quality assurance, and shop maintenance. After one year, I was promoted to grade E-3Airman First Class the same rank my father was serving until his retirement. My father was so happy since promotion in Airforce is done once an individual portrays hard work skills (Mack, 2016). The news of promotion made my parents very happy since the product of their guidance and care was evident. The next task ahead was to find a good spouse and start my own family. Nevertheless, the promotion did not hinder me from associating with my fellow Group soldiers in our duty.
Family Life and Decision Making
Currently, I am married with two kids, a boy, and a girl. Marriage life is not always smooth. Sometimes it has its vicissitudes. When it comes to decision making as a man, you have to incorporate ideas from the whole family. This freedom is referred to as personal liberty. You need to practice forbearance despite not agreeing with that opinion (McCullough, Fincham and Tsang, 2003). My wife is a nurse and spends most of her time at the workplace. Well, that is her career field, and she likes it. She is always happy with her work and enjoys waking up every day to spend her day in the same place. She prepares the children early in the morning and takes them to school using her car. It portrays how dedicated she is to her responsibilities.
Parenting and Trust
Sometimes the children misbehave, and as a father, I am entitled to correct them. However, my work limits the time I spend with them, but I always get time to spend with the family. My trust in the Lord has yielded success. Currently, I am an E-7 (Master Sergeant), the soldier. Before the year ends, I am instructed by my seniors to attend six-month training in Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Therefore, I will plan to relocate from Marysville to Texas. It is a painful decision especially for my family, but I have to abide by it. I must serve my nation without question. Secondly, I have to respect the authority. I may not be able to relocate together with my family, but I will be traveling home fortnightly to spend time with them. The trust I have with my wife is the driving motive that promotes loyalty in our family. Our parents taught altruism, so we always find time to visit the less fortunate people just as our parents did. I have learned to pay it forward to those who wrong me. Revenging or holding grudges end up not benefiting and instead attracts more problems.
Conclusion
Everybody's code of ethics and values play a critical role in their life. Ethics are majorly societal rather than personal. There is a high chance that the policies set by an organization regarding values and ethics conflict with the rights of the client. A good example is an organization supporting a specific political or philosophical stand causing a misunderstanding between the institution and the client. It is regrettable that some people do not know what is termed right or wrong. Everybody needs to have some values that guide their lives especially on their interaction with one another. This value instilled by my parents, the church, and the society has resulted in the person I am today. My children will also have a story to tell sometimes how their father molded their lives.
References
Fisher, S., Frazer, N., & Murray, K. (1986). Homesickness and health in boarding school children. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 6(1), 35-47.
Mack, R. L. (2016). Creating Joint Leaders Today For A Successful Air Force Tomorrow. Maxwell Air Force Base Montgomery United States.
Maister, D. H., Galford, R., & Green, C. (2012). True Professionalism: The Courage To Care About Your Clients & Career. Simon and Schuster.
McCullough, M. E., Fincham, F. D., & Tsang, J. A. (2003). Forgiveness, forbearance, and time: the temporal unfolding of transgression-related interpersonal motivations. Journal of personality and social psychology, 84(3), 540.
