This friend of mine does not eat meat and advises others not to. My other friend does not eat meat nor fish. There is another friend who adds all dairy products to this not-to-eat list. Then there is another friend who does not consume honey nor any product that is of animal origin, including clothing and accessories.
You may wonder: Which of these is the right one? All are right in their own places, as long as they do not, under normal conditions, stray away from their pondered or stated principles. This is integrity, the act of staying put and whole, even in the face of adversity or temptation.
Now let’s say the first friend is offered one lakh rupees to eat beef.. Will he be acting unethically, if he gives in? Yes. But if he is threatened at gun-point to do the same act, then he will be right to opt differently, and still be considered ethical.
Ethics is a dynamic thing. The mere learning or teaching of ethics will not guarantee that one is ethical. First: One has to have all the qualifiers ingrained in oneself. Second: One has to make the most appropriate decision, which should be based upon a myriad of conditions.
This is ethics, fluid and dynamic. Just as communication. These are two areas that can be highly personal; they cannot be bound merely by organizational guidelines. Strictly following the corporate guideline can distort the individual responsibility. If we are to be competently ethical and effectively communicative, this is the challenge we face.
In order to reach the top and remain there, we have to make sure that our foundation has no flaws at all and that we do not stumble at any of the steps.