The Ethic Code
Purpose
That to which we aspire. It is not a goal, a goal is tangible, something that is obtainable, it has a beginning and an end. The purpose is progressive and gives our lives a meaning, it is a way to find a path through our lives. A goal on the other hand is a place we will visit along the way during our lives. For example: earning money can be a goal, but would you feel proud if this was your purpose in the life? Purpose is something more noble, it is the image you have of yourself, the sort of person you want to be, the kind of life you want to lead. Basically purpose is your mission in life, it is the respect and consideration of all humanity independent of religion, politics, race or colour. The man in the mirror, when you feel like a King, go and look at yourself in the mirror, look at your eyes. Nobody can judge you, just your eyes looking at you through the mirror. People can call you brilliant and wonderful, but only your own eyes can tell you who you really are. Even if you deceive the whole world throughout your whole life, your prize will be fruitless as you can never deceive yourself when you look at your eyes in the mirror.
Self Respect
It’s the satisfaction and pride which you find in your own achievements and those whom you care for. For this you must believe in yourself and trust in your feelings. I’m sure that you have a high level of self-dignity, you will do what you have to do, even if outside pressure pushes you the other way. Dignity is a key factor to be able to live an ethical life, it is being proud of your achievements. This is self-respect, although some have too much and others too little. An inferiority complex often comes about in two forms: ‘false pride and lack of self-confidence.’ False Pride is defined when one has a distorted image of his own importance. These people believe they are full of merit, that they are the source of everything, that only they are important. Nothing can distract you so quickly from your purpose than false pride. Self-respect is necessary but it must be mixed with humbleness. Those dominated by false pride believe themselves to be the centre of attention and within this perspective only ‘ME’ exists… ‘YOU’ disappears and everything becomes a fight between winning and loosing, the need to justify, dissimulate, argue or lie not to loose face when a mistake is made. Their pride does not let them loose. Lack Of Self Confidence Those who lack of self-confidence do not have a good concept of themselves and do not trust their own judgement; they need to feel appreciated and accepted. For these people just a few words: “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission!” You need solid sense of balance. If we have balance we will have sufficient confidence in ourselves to stand strong in difficult situations.
Patience
When our purpose is clear and our ‘ego’ is under control, our third principle is Patience. One reason that makes many people abandon their path is the lack of belief in one’s self, which is partnered by impatience. Belief or faith is not to resign to or accept something, but the possibility to base our actions on our beliefs. It is difficult to have patience in today’s world, where only immediate satisfaction is sought after; you must believe in yourself, sow your seed and wait. Problems are inevitable in life, and we must value the good things that happen. Patience presupposes confidence in that its values and beliefs give results over a large period of time. Patience means to endeavour to a good job with effort and dedication: an investment that will let you reach your goals to be able to obtain your purpose in life.To think of short-term benefits is like playing tennis, watching the score board and not the ball. With determination the best results will arrive, patience is having faith and confidence that everything will turn out good.
Persistence
Even though patience is necessary, it will never be enough without persistence. The best speech that Sir Winston Churchill ever gave was in his old primary school; he stood up, looked over his glasses and said: “Never, never, never let yourself be defeated!” This statement summed up Churchill’s life; if this man had one feature that stood out it was persistence. He never gave up. From the point of view of ethical behaviour persistence is the equivalent of always being on the front line, standing strong and making sure that one’s actions reflect one’s beliefs. It is vital to stand up for one’s opinions always, even if it goes against the grain, persistence does not mean trying to do something but actually doing it at all costs, whatever the consequences. To try to do something is simply a noisy way of not doing anything! Unfortunately many people make lots of noise about something they have never actually intended doing. The world is full of failed talent, misunderstood genius’ and well educated people unemployed. Only persistence and determination are overruling. There are many people who boast about ethics and honour, integrity and sincerity, but it is only a publicity stunt and they do not actually have any of these traits.
Perspective
It is the ability to understand what is really important in any given situation. Purpose, self respect, patience and persistence are like a wheel whose axle is perspective. It is the central point from where everything can be clearly seen. Unfortunately many people are so busy ‘living’ that they do not have time to stop and examine their lives to find out why they are not happy with such a life. How can I find balance in my life? Each person has two selves; the outer self which consists of carrying normal functions without really thinking, and the inner self which consists of moral values, introspective thought and the need to discover the meaning of life. Many people forget about the latter, they get up in the morning forgetting about their inner selves and carry out their lives without giving their inner selves a chance to develop. To allow our inner selves to develop we must take time to arrive in a relaxed state of mind. There are many ways to achieve this: praying, meditating, reading or even just going for a walk, but above all we must take time out to do it. In KFM we want to have these principles in mind, take time to reflect and understand where we are, where we want to go and how to get there. With planning, strategy and analysis of past and present achievements, this is all possible. If we look after our work in the beginning, the end will look after itself.
