Put yourself in my place

This was a dificult one... Savater says that ethics is interested in how to live a good human life, amongst human beings. This is not very complicated, as we human beings use symbols to communicate among each other. Thought, actually, could be difficult as people from different backgrounds and cultures interpret symbols in different ways... Despite our differences, however, we are all part of the human race and that makes us all humans.

We have the right to be treated as humans, that is in a respectful way, taking into account how they would like to be treated and reflecting that in their behaviour...

But at the beginning I said that this one was difficult. This is so beacuse I experienced other "human beings" 's evil... I had my bag stolen last weekend, with many things inside that were valuable to me, and that is not referring to the money inside... Savater says "not for acting badly they stop being human beings"... but don't they?? I felt so disappointed of people that day that it is difficult not to think that people stop being people when they act against other people's freedom and good intentions.... Very difficult...

We all have the right to be treated as humans... We need to put ourselves in other people's place to try to imagine what others expect from us... In spite of everything, I still have faith in people.. there's always someone putting himself in someone else's place... Like the man who found some of my belongings and phoned to return them....

Here comes... Jiminy Cricket!!

Being a good person implies many things. On the one side, you are free to choose what is it you want from your life and how to get to it. You are aware of the fact that sometimes your will crashes with someone else's, and so you'll try to adjust to the situation. On the other hand, we may be selfish and do what we want the way we want it without caring the effect this may have in others.
If you are morally good and respect yourself and those who surround you, you will care about the consequences of your acts. If you do something you KNOW is wrong, you'll feel remorse; and you may even want to make things right.
Being a good person you are responsible for your acts, good or bad. If they are bad, they may harm you and others, or even prevent you from having a good life.
Be aware of your acts and prepare to be responsible for their consequences... It is not a bad thing to be selfish sometimes. To want something just for you is not always wrong, as long as it allows you to continue on the right path...

Wake up, baby!!

Living a good life involves many things. Having personal possessions, getting new items, buying and selling through out our lives... but also interacting with others. We cannot treat other people as objects due to the simple reason that they ARE PEOPLE, and NOT THINGS!!

Someone once said "Don't treat others in ways you wouldn't like to be treated yourself." Huge truth. If you don't like to be treated as an object, why should you do that to your mates, friends, family or strangers? Part of living a good life is communicating and interacting with people. We do this every single day of our lives. So why make it unpleasant for everyone instead of treating people kindly and as they deserve?

Live a good life, treat people with respect and try to understand the core meaning of your own life. This is yours to discover, as no one can choose how to live your life except for yourself. Make good and wise choices, according to what is convenient for you.

Have a good life...

Would you consider a human being someone living in an empty planet, with no company but himself? Is that person a human being if he doesn't have someone to talk to, to share ideas, feeligns or thoughts?

Being a human being means being in contact with other people, with whom you socialise and communicate. There's no person without interaction with others.

You can have a good life as long as you remember you are free to choose what you want from your life... because it is yours to live!! Yes, it is true that you can listen to suggestions or follow someone else's orders... but it is your decision either way!

Deciding what we actually want is the tricky part of the issue... specially when you are not completely sure of what you want.

So, choose to live a good life!! Whatever you decide will take wherever you choose...

Just remember that part of living a good human life is being part of a society, sometimes with cultural traditions and using a language that helps us express whatever we want.

Do what you want!

We are free to decide whether we follow someone else's orders, our surrounding customs or our desires.. But sometimes this is dificult as they do not satisty us. What is important is to be aware of what we decide and why we decide it.

Do we follow orders without stopping to think if they are convenient for us or not? Are all orders or customs good for us? Or could they be immoral as well? Not only behaviours can be good or bad, moral or immoral... People can also be so. However , there's no manual to learn how to be a good human being... Therefore, we have to learn by being human beings, sometimes by trial and error... We are not an instrument to reach and end, but our intentions are the reasons we do things.

While we learn, at school and in the school of life, we follow our beliefs and criteria to be ourselves immersed in a society...

So... do what you want!! As long as your free will and freedom of choice does not go agaisnt someone else's...

Orders, customs and desires

Everything a person does is done with a reason. Some things are done following someone's orders. We may choose to obey those orders that are generally intended to make us some good, or disobey them with some consequent punishment.

We can also perform some acts because it's a custom in our community or social group. However, as we are part of different social groups inside our community sometimes we may follow several customs.

As far as desires go, we follow them because we "feel like it".

As teachers, it's a good idea to bear in mind that children, teenagers and of course adults may sometimes not feel like doing an exercise or are not in the mood for a class when they have been forced to get out of bed with -3 ºC !! When this happens, teachers need to be ready to handle the situation.

Most children and teenagers feel "forced" to go to school or private lessons, orders they obey from their parents or close family because "it is good" for them... It's the teacher's responsibility to make them feel at ease and enjoy themselves while learning as well.

Freedom

Human beings have the capacity to choose. To choose what to do , when to do it and how to do it, among many other options. Unlike animals, plants and other live organisms, human beings have freedom of choice.

People can choose to learn certain things and not others according to their interests. However, there are certain matters that we are compelled to know, such as differentiating what is "good" and what is "bad" for us. We know eating healthily is good for us and that abusing drugs is not. (though some people may think differently, it's their choice)

Unlike other living creatures, humans are free to choose how to live their lives. People not necessarily have to do things as we can choose if we want to do them or not. We are "programmed" by genetics but also by the society and culture in which we grow up. These shape us in ways that allow us to be able to decide what, when, how and why to do or not certain things.

We are free to choose how to cope with daily life and to try our bests in everything that we make our minds up.

As teachers, we are able to help children develop this capacity of choice. Little by little, we can help them realise that they have the capacity to reach everything that they want. Children are part of society and they need to learn how to interact with it. Teachers should always be there to help them discover the necessary tools needed in the art of living.