What are good ethics? And who decides what is right and wrong? I would say we all learn the difference between right and wrong when we are children, in the home, observing our parents and other adults. So, if your parents cheat the system, say, for example they are on food stamps or other social benefits paid for by the government because they have five children to feed and no dad, even though you know dad is around, just not when the social worker shows up, these are not honest behaviors and your parents are teaching you unethical immoral behaviors and that cheating the government or ‘the man’ is ok. So, you grow up practicing the same immoral behavior and again, teach your children the same.

What else? Well, along these same lines, cheating in general would be ok for you. Perhaps something that just recently happened to me would be acceptable behavior to you. Someone took my maiden name, Geribo, that I use for all the books I’ve written and for my artwork, and took it as the title of their book. Now, my name isn’t Rowling (as in JK Rowling) or King (as in Stephen King) but it is a unique name that no one would ever think of unless they first found it on the internet. And since my name is associated not only with my books and my artwork but also with a couple of other websites that my husband and I have set up to support shelter pets and wildlife, this person decided to use it so that when people searched on my name, they would find her book as well. Unethical? That is a definite yes. I wonder how this person was raised and whether or not any kind of cheating was acceptable in her household. And if she has children, she is passing this kind of unethical behavior down to them.

Personally, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. I was raised by a woman who was also raised to be honest. The woman who took my name could use a lesson in learning the difference between right and wrong.

 Buy "Lemon and Lime" painting by DJ Geribo

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