Personal Code of Ethics

I know my moral code.  I understand what I will and won't do.  I try to live my life as best I can.  But writing it on paper is hard.  It is now not something I can justify away or rationalize.  This is not just something in my head.  This is something I am writing out and giving to a body of people who will decide whether or not to ordain me at the end of June.  Not only that, this code of ethics is one that will go along with my mission statement and vow of ministry as the basis for my own practice whatever that may be.  Certainly it can change with time as I change and grow, but it is still a promise of behavior, attitude, etc. that I am making to the Divine and the world around me.

So here they are...my first draft:

•       I will do my best to follow the Code of Ethics established by the International Seminary for Interfaith Studies (ISIS).
•       I will do my best to live by the words intoned by ATA (American Taekwondo Association) Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, “In victory, be humble.  In defeat, be strong.  In all things, be fair.”
•       I will do my best to respond rather than react when someone/something doesn’t go like I expect.  I will take a moment to breathe and ask myself what is really going on.
•       I will do my best to respect my boundaries and the boundaries of those around me, be they physical, spiritual, mental or emotional.
•       I will do my best to learn what I can from the natural world and those that understand it better than I.  I must live in concert with it in order for us both to survive.
•       I will do my best to treat drugs, alcohol, sex, people, animals, and self with the respect that they deserve.  This means ensuring that I am vigilant in maintaining my awareness in relation to them.
•       I will do my best to honor those that teach me lessons through conflict, as those are sometimes the hardest to learn and the most valuable.
•       I will do my best to hold space for anyone who needs to feel heard and loved.  The things that are shared in that space will remain in that space, unless I feel strongly that others are in extreme danger, at that point, I will use my judgment to determine if it is necessary to report what I know.
•       I will do my best to ask for help and guidance in situations where I feel unsure or are outside of my area of expertise or comfort zone.
•       I will do my best to follow my calling to ministry by being a force for positive change in the world.