Principles of Life Essay

â€Å"An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.† -Thomas paine .This thinking of Paine’s motivated the uneducated man forward despite his fallen human condition and bring hope to the common man, a secuatious nation, and the entirety of mankind. We all have some sort of principles that we at least claim to have, whether or not we actually live by them. If you want to have a principle driven life, the first thing you have to do is determine what your principles are. The way to begin determining your principles is to try to think of things you would always or never do, regardless of circumstances. The list of â€Å"never do† and The list of â€Å"always do†When you look at these lists, there should be some core things that join them togetherThese things that lie behind the actions on your â€Å"never do† and â€Å"always do† lists are your principles.Well, the first thing to do is commit them into your memory and your heart. That way they are always with you, and you can always consider them when deciding which path to take at any particular point in life. A good start to living by your principles would be these ten pillars of a principal driven life: Honesty Integrity Priorities Commitment Persistence Learning From Your Past Be Yourself Courage. Self-confidence When all ten are intact, keeping the focus of your life on your principles is, easy With each one that falls, it becomes harder and harder to keep your focus Ethics and ethical principles extend to all spheres of human activity. Ethics serve to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct and provide reasons for conclusions.When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule (â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you), or a wise aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius. A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living. Charles R. Swindoll Most people learn ethical norms at home, at school,or in other social settings. Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong during childhood, moral development occurs throughout life and human beings pass through different stages of growth as they mature. Ethical norms are so omnipresent that one might be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality were nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society? One plausible explanation of these disagreements is that all people recognize some common ethical norms but different individuals interpret, apply, and balance these norms in different ways in light of their own values and life experiences. Most societies also have legal rules that govern behavior, but ethical norms tend to be broader and more informal than laws. it is important to remember that ethics and law are not the same. when Mohandas K. Gandhi was assassinated, George C. Wallace, the United States Secretary of state said that â€Å"Gandhi had become a spokesman for the conscience of all mankind a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires† Gandhi promoted simple living, non-violence, and forgiveness as a way to unite all people peacefully. These principles helped him to liberate his people As quoted by Napoleon Bonaparte† Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them. â€Å"