Mia Molina

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

ten rules represent would be the Consequentialist and Virtue Framework.

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

possibly be inappropriate or disrespectful towards another person. Rule #9 is Do Not Be Selfish

and Consider Others’ Feelings. This means that everyone should put others before themselves

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

respect to be respected in return. Helping others is an example of ways we as natural human

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

rules that correlate with one another.

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

and accomplish the best consequences.