Jada Kimple

10 rules to live by
O’Keefe BB

Ethics is a visualization of one’s perspective on how people make decisions and guide
their lives. Ethics is a concern one believes is good for the society, and sometimes seen as moral
philosophy. There is a miscommunication between ethics and justice. One might judge a just
action to be ethical. Justice is the consideration of fairness. To act in a just manner to other
people is to treat them all equally. After reading several writings and focusing on the frameworks
I have come to the conclusion of my own 10 rules to live by, that can “Make a difference.”
My first rule is “Do No Harm.” This rule is one that we owe to everybody. It is what
exemplifies a natural duty. In the Excerpt from Justice : What’s the Right thing to do?, it states,
“​Natural duties are universal. We owe them to people as rational beings. They include the duty to
treat people with respect, to do justice, to avoid cruelty, and so on. Since they arise from an
autonomous will, or from hypothetical social contract, they don’t require an act of consent.” It is
our job as the people to do no harm. Doing no harm is what we owe to people and is just
something that is natural. In the text ​of Mice and Men ​ by John Steinbeck it states, “ ​O.K.,’ said
George. ‘An' you ain't gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed, neither.’Lennie looked
puzzled. ‘Like I done in Weed?’ ‘Oh, so ya forgot that too, did ya? Well, I ain't gonna remind ya,
fear ya do it again.’A light of understanding broke on Lennie's face.’They run us outa Weed,’ he
exploded triumphantly.’Run us out, hell,’ said George disgustedly. ‘We run. They was lookin'
for us, but they didn't catch us.’ Lennie giggled happily. ‘I didn't forget that, you bet." Often
people in the world don’t understand the harm and/or deaths of those around that they have
caused. When this behavior is happening innocent people are dying over a cause that shouldn’t
of happened.Even if they didn’t die people are still getting hurt. Notice Lennie and George
laughed it off. This is why “NO HARM” should be enforced.​If we can take out all the harm in
the world it can lead us down the road of a better and much safer world.
My second rule is, “Speak Right.” Gossip is the verbal atomic bomb of relationships. It
destroys marriages, businesses, and friendships. These three types of relationships are important
within life, gossiping only leads to a war that you can avoid. When knowing how to speak right it
doesn’t just make you a better person, it also benefits your relationship with everyone around
you. As they say “ If you don’t have nothing good to say don’t say it at all.” In the novel ​of Mice
and Men ​John Steinbeck states, “ ​The boss pointed a playful finger at Lennie. ‘He ain't much of
a talker, is he?’ ‘No, he ain't, but he's sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull.’ Lennie
smiled to himself. ‘Strong as a bull,’ he repeated. George scowled at him, and Lennie dropped
his head in shame at having forgotten” As you can see George spoke great upon Lennie. Being
that Lennie isn't the smartest at talking, George could have talked down upon him and/or made
Lennie handle it himself. Good relationships give you people who will care and have your back.
They will genuinely want to help you. Speak right and positivity will come. If the world would
cut the bad mouthing and negative talk and actually speak right, We can together build
relationships in all types of ways. This can really benefit the world in many aspects.
Jada Kimple
10 rules to live by
O’Keefe BB

My third rule is, “Act With Honesty and Integrity.” Your word is your bond. You may
gain in the short term in money or success through dishonesty, but it will cost you a of respect,
trust, love and close relationships. Honesty is key. If you are not staying true to somebody else
that means you aren’t staying true to yourself either. There is such thing as karma what goes
around will come back around and effect you in a bad way. ​In Chapter 3 of, ​Of Mice and Men​ ,
George admits with honesty he used to treat Lenny badly. He says,"Used to play jokes on 'im
'cause he was too dumb to take care of 'himself...he was so nice to me...I ain't done nothing like
that no more.” When you come clean about your doing you tend to gain respect. This rule works
for both yourself and people. In order to get respect you must give and that definitely comes with
honesty. Being honest with others, means you are honest to yourself. You might not notice it but
honestly can change the world and the people in the world stay true to not just everybody but
with themselves. When accomplishing both you bring positivity in several ways.
My fourth rule is, “ Respect others.” Rabbi Akiva said best don’t do to others as you
would not want done to you. ​Respecting others is an attitude. What does it mean? It doesn’t mean
wishing the other person or getting up when they appear. Respecting other people means that we
believe that the other person is a decent human with sense & honesty. It means that you don't expect
the other person to be rude, harmful, distrustful or disgusting. This depends on what one believes
themselves to be. If one believes in her integrity than others will appear similarly but if one has no
integrity then the other one too will appear the same. Respect & fear are difficult to differentiate. In a
gang members fear each other. At school we generally fear our teachers but later in life when we
meet them we respect them. So you see, respecting others is simply respecting oneself. It is to see one
self in the other person. Without respect for others it is difficult to function in a society. In the novel
Of Mice and Men​ John steinbeck a character named Slim builds relationships with each guy in the
novel and this relationship he builds has the guys having respect for him. If the world learned how to
respect one another, everything will be better especially relationship wise.
My fifth rule is, “Be kind to others.” Go out of your way each day to help others. Hold a
door for someone, help carry the groceries into the house, listen when you would rather run
away, smile at others and find something nice to say. ​ ​In order to be kind, we have to pay
attention to what is happening around us. As we notice more things and help others, we get a
glimpse of other ways of looking at things. A broader perspective helps us to keep things in
context.
My sixth rule is, “be humble.” Wisdom only enters a humble person. An arrogant person
is too full of himself for anything to enter. no matter what you do, no matter how successful you
are, no matter how lucky you are, never boast about being better than others. Because in the end,
you are really just a branch. Whatever you do is just part of that branch, connected to other
branches and a tree that is way larger than you.
My seventh rule is, “Study wisdom.” Ethics of our Fathers says, “an uneducated person
cannot be righteous.” ​Wisdom means understanding the consequences of our actions and words
before we act or speak.It is having the knowledge and understanding to recognize the right of our
action and having the courage to follow it.Wisdom brings us in harmony with ourselves, giving
us a sense of self-worth and inner peace. This inner peace is achieved because we are acting
Jada Kimple
10 rules to live by
O’Keefe BB

based off of what we learned from our consciences and avoiding the shame and guilt of
following our bad instincts.
My eighth rule is, “ Make a daily accounting.” Growth accomplishment comes only
through focus and effort. Each day ask yourself: what am I living for? What did I doo toward my
goal today? What did I do away from my goal today? What is a better goal to work toward?
When doing this you are analyzing your day and really seeing what you did. Almost like a self
check. This can be a very positive aspect. Most people do not have check ins and do not make
growth. If you sit back for a set you can really see growth or see what you have to do to get
there. The more you grow successfully, the more the people around you will, the better the world
will be at growth.
My ninth rule is, “Work for a cause.” Be bigger than yourself. Work to perfect the world.
Work to perfect the world.​Sometimes it feels like we spend so much time trying to get ourselves
noticed, that we forget why we’re doing all of this in the first place. When we base our level of
success on fame, money, and admiration we soon discover that there is never enough.When we
look outside of ourselves for approval and self-worth, we become slaves to the opinions of
others. At some point, we have to stop and ask ourselves what it is we are really chasing and
why.
My tenth rule is, “obtain a degree or develop a trade.” education is the most important
weapon which you can use to change the world.​You might think that college is just high school
continued, but it’s not. College opens doors for you that high school doesn’t. College can change
you and shape you in ways that you might not imagine. If we have people working at what they
like with the education behind it can really strengthen the world.
It took me awhile to develope my list. I had my mind set on developing rules that all based 
off one another. After several different list and analyzing, I was able to establish a set amount of 
rules. At first my rules were broad, too the point where they can possibly be questioned in multiple 
ways. Some of them used to contradict one another. I combined my morals in life with thinking of 
how the world be great based off reality. I then developed problems we have in America and that is 
how these 10 rules were established. They went from bad to good it just took some intense 
thoughts. 
I feel as though these rules can make a difference in the world. If we had these rules 
in America The world would, for the first time, be​ great . They all can back up one another up
and/or all tie in together and connect. It would push the world into a positive direction and we’d
become beyond successful in life. I have come to the conclusion that if we work toward my “10
rules to live by” it can make a difference. Let's make “America is great because it is Good” quote
come true by living up to these 10 rules. Make America Great!