Professional Ethics

Raghupati Raaghav Raajaaraam,

Patit Paavan Sitaram

Iishvar Allah Tero Naam,

Sab ko Sanmati de Bhagavaan

      On 7^th August 2009, during 47^th convocation address of IIT Bombay, Mr. E. Sreedaran, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corp. Ltd., said “Should we not educate and warn Engineers and Scientists coming out of IIT Bombay that professional ethics and values should not be compromised for short term business advantage?”

Mr. Sreedaran's sayings motivated us to write an article on Professional ethics to Anubhoothi 2011. In the mean time when we were talking to one of our freshmen and   happened to inform him that we were writing an article on Professional ethics for H-1 magazine….and he replied

“ohhh...k

no idea

abt those thngs”

we answered him, will try to give some bit through this article. You will come to know as you go on....

Professions carried in daily life may be categorized as skilled/unskilled, blue/white collar etc., and the one who do it in the “defined” way are called as professionals. We often use terms like professional singer, professional speaker, professional builder, so on and so forth or in general as “She/he is professional”. And of course one should put lot of efforts to become a professional. The key to becoming professional is practice.

Are Professionals perfect?

We have the famous English proverb “Practice makes a man perfect”. But it is incorrect to say that all professionals are perfect. Why because, the manner in which they carry their job can be defined not only on the basis of the expertise in the specific field but also on the other factor i.e. 'ethics'. Ethics holds punctuality, sincerity, morality and humanity under one roof. In order to become perfectly professional one needs to practice ethics in the same way as one practices their skills in the intended area of work. Once the ethical part is missing people tend to become imperfect professionals.

Imperfect professional?

We came across few incidents during the walks of our professional life and found people at different levels whom we feel are professional but not 'perfect professional'. Let me cite a few of them:

A professor smoking in a common place and having conversation with his students. (Smoking is injurious to health)

A student after receipt of his Professional degree in a convocation holds cigar in one hand and degree in the other hand while walking in the institute road. (Passive smoking is more dangerous than active smoking)

The office bearers (law makers) of hostel consuming alcohol in the hostel premises although code of conduct of a hostelite (in constitution) says “He should not consume alcohol or any intoxicating substance in the hostel premises” (The law makers should not be the law breakers)

Using foul language (even in common places like playgrounds, corridor) by highly qualified students from the institute of National importance. (If I am using foul language means that I am not intelligent enough to find other words - Anonymous)

          Corruption (Everything else can be filthy and corrupt but the man need not to be – Anonymous)

etc.,

Gandhiji emphasized : "A person cannot do right in one department whilst attempting to do wrong in another department. Life is one indivisible whole. "

Ethics in daily life

Practicing ethics helps to avoid malfunctioning, corruption, wastage (time & energy) etc., which we feel the most important factor for the efficient functioning of institute, organization, country, etc.

          We strongly believe, ethics is a part of our culture, part of our religion(s). Keeping our culture alive and practicing religious faiths will mold the mind to walk in the path of dharma at all times. The one who loves God will fear to attain wealth, name, fame etc., in the illegal/improper/incorrect way. Religious practices also discipline the body and so discipline the mind. But being religious doesn't guarantee you to be ethical, one needs to be pragmatic as well. Ethics can't be educated only through books and it is duty of parents and teachers to feed religious faith to the growing child and ensure they practice the same along with the other skills. Lord Buddha says

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

Dr. Kalam adds           

“If a country to be corruption free and become a Nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher”.

Perfection to imperfection

“The world suffers a lot not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people”-Napolean       

After practicing ethics sometimes the situation makes the perfect professionals to indirectly  support the imperfect professional. This happens when the perfect professional maintain silence when the wrong / illegal / imperfections happening around them. Because of genuineness if the perfect professional maintain silence in such situations, that becomes unethical and makes him imperfect professional, because it indirectly supports the causes which directly  hamper the growing stem of our Nation.

Perfection  - a moving target

Never, never and never compromise professional ethics at any cost and for any reason, if you want to be a lover of God.   Attaining perfection is a moving target and so is practicing ethics. Hence always practice religious faiths which we feel will make you a perfect professional and true lover of God. We are practicing to build a corruption free and a Nation of beautiful minds....will you?

“Nothing is ever so good that it can't get better  and nothing is ever so bad that it can't get worse”

We are not professional writers but practicing will take us to another level.

                                    Rahul K. Misra 

                                    R. P. Vijayakumar