Ethics

A situation ensued wherein my perception on judgment, particularly on the morality of keeping my silence on an unethical issue, or whether to risk the consequences of exposing this mistake to those concerned will be truly beneficial for the betterment of the prevailing situation.  This involved an uncle of mine whom I discovered as having an illicit affair with another woman.  Apparently, if situations would have been different, their affair would not have the ethical issues that caused me to question my own morality, and to delve on my real intentions for wanting to correct this blatant display of deceit.

Perhaps the fact that my uncle is already married, with three children who are all still in school, made for the factors that awakened in me the urge to correct the situation, likewise, the fact that the woman is still in her early twenties, single, thus able to look for another man that can truly be hers alone, made it easier on my part to arrive at a decision and be able to identify in detail, the ethical principles that complicate their illicit affair.

If I were to consider the Golden rule, which states that you should treat others as you want them to treat you, then ethics and morality would advise me to correct this erroneous affair by letting my aunt know of this relationship.  I would purposely abstain from letting my young cousins know of their fathers misdeeds, as this might have detrimental effects on their young minds.  After all, this problem was created by adults thus must be resolved by adults as well.  Knowing how painful infidelity can inflict an aggrieved party, the Golden Rule will be my basis specifically, I would never want myself or any of my loved ones to experience this kind of personal tragedy that can rob a person of his dignity.  Hard as it may seem, I would rather betray the trust that my uncle has given me, rather than live with the reality of guilt in knowing that my aunt and her three children are being betrayed by my uncle, with my knowledge.    

The other theory, Utilitarianism, which states that an action is good if it produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, on the other hand, would cause me to rethink my decision to expose the illicit affair.  After all, happiness is its main theme, and surely, exposing them would cause much distress on all parties involved, including the perpetrators of the misdemeanor themselves.  A weighing process would have to arise, and it would delve between the happiness of my uncle and his new girlfriend, and my aunt, cousins, as well my parents and myself.

After a long and detailed examination, I am most likely to decide on the ethical dilemma concerning my uncle by abiding on the Golden Rule.  I would endeavor to resolve this problem by making my aunt know of her husbands illicit affair, primarily on the basis of fear that this kind of infidelity may happen to me or my loved ones.  This line of reasoning will be more than enough to overwhelm the second theory, which is Utilitarianism, as it is apparent that it would be of utmost improbability for everyone involved to attain happiness.  I will be willing to sacrifice the trust delegated to me in order to ensure that no grief of this magnitude will ever befall my family. After all, I would be highly appreciative if I were to be treated by others fairly without the slightest indication of deception, dishonesty, treachery, and infidelity.