The word ’Ethical’ has been used in the English language much more in recent years. In my 1978 Oxford English Dictionary the definition (apart from the one about medicines available by prescription only) it is defined and ‘morally correct’. By the time we get to my 1990 copy which is, admittedly much bigger, it also includes ‘relating to morals in human conduct’ and ‘honourable’.
I looked it up on Google and found the only reference to the environment I could discover: ‘Avoiding activities or organizations that do harm to people or the environment’. This was a massive surprise to me as I thought this was the definition we all use the most. Apparently I was wrong (I often am).
Other definitions were:
Dictionary.com – being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice
Merriam Webster – involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval
Vocabulary.com – someone who is honest and follows good moral standards
But my very favourite is from the Urban Dictionary:
– A word that some companies use to describe themselves as a PR stuntwhilst actually being just as evil as all the other big profit-hunting corporations.
So I decided to come up with my own – this is what it means to me:
To live ethically is to be kind
Of course to be kind can take many forms but essentially it means to me to always act in a way which is right, whether that is by helping others, being good to the environment or supporting those who need it, and not causing harm to the world and the people in it.
I am a woman of a certain age (not 60 yet!) who lives in Bristol. I’ve lived almost my whole life in Bristol, with a short sojourn in Cornwall in my teens. I am trying to lead my life in an ethical way in all areas and hope to explore what this means.
I have four passions and several interests so I hope I will have plenty to write about. My passions are my family, knitting, cricket and St Peter’s Hospice. My other interests are volunteering, the environment, reading, TV, films & theatre, fundraising, chronic fatigue, mental health and eating. My non-interests are animals, housework, football, rugby and cooking.
I come from a family of four – two sisters and a brother. Our parents dies a few years ago. I am married to my soulmate Colin, an amazing man who tolerates my funny ways and supports me in everything I do. We have three children and two wonderful granddaughters. I am so proud of my family – we must have done something right as they are all good people. I have two sons-in-law who I love like my own and together we all make up a family unit where everyone loves and respects everyone else.
I am a total hypochondriac but do have some genuine problems, some of which I may talk about at a later date. At the moment I am overweight and have just started to eat more healthily, which I think is the answer to weight loss. We were on holiday last week and enjoyed puddings and cakes every day.
I work part-time and Colin is recently retired. This means that we have been able to spend much more time together doing some of the things we’ve been meaning to do – some planned and some spontaneous. I love this period of my life – I just wish I had the energy to match the time and the opportunities available!
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