Our ethics today

Today, I am interested in discussing ethics and its relationship to this Indonesian context. As we know that ethics and morals are terms that have almost the same meaning, it's just that the language of origin is different. Ethics comes from Greek, while moral comes from Latin. An action we can call ethical or moral if we consider the action good. Because ethics and morals indeed talk about whether or not an action is good.

Maybe only a few of us know that there is one more term that is similar and we often mix it, namely etiquette. Apart from the similar names, this term also concerns human behaviour. Etiquette talks about the manner of action or manners in short. Etiquette discusses the appropriateness of an act without giving ethical value to it or just judging it outwardly.

For example, if we give something to Person A, then we have to hand it over with the right hand. If we are eating together at the table, then we must not put our feet on the table. It is perfect etiquette, but it has absolutely no ethical content. If we give an envelope filled with money to A with his right hand, but Person A is a judge who will sue us, then this would be an unethical act even though it is etiquette perfect.

Ethics are universal, such as the 10 commandments of God that were revealed to the Prophet Moses. Don't steal, don't cheat, don't kill, don't commit adultery, and so on. Meanwhile, etiquette is relative depending on time and place. Javanese etiquette is certainly different from that of Bugis people, it would be considered rude for Javanese to burp at the dinner table, while for Bugis it is normal.

It is not a contradiction if someone who always sticks to etiquette at the same time becomes a hypocrite. Therefore, the term wolf in sheep's clothing is quite well known. People can be polite, neat, and refined, but intend to deceive. No wonder so many scammers are very etiquette perfect, corruptors easy example. Meanwhile, if someone sticks to ethics, it is impossible to be a hypocrite, because it is an unethical act.

Today, most of us only prioritize the etiquette aspect. For example, on-campus how strict the rules governing etiquette are. We are not allowed to wear sandals, T-shirts, torn pants, and so on (on my campus). If this prohibition is ignored, the lecturer will not hesitate to expel us from class. Meanwhile, plagiarism or dishonesty with all its variations such as cheating on exams, copying assignments from the internet, even copying theses related to ethics is not as strict as the application of sanctions for rules that enforce etiquette. This happened for real.

In school, etiquette also takes priority over ethics. How to dress is considered more important than honesty in taking your exams during exams. This kind of thing is ingrained and passed down from generation to generation so that it is considered normal by all circles. No wonder when we grow up and have become important people, we prioritize etiquette over ethics. So that we become selfish and ignorant bastards. The governor who often speaks harshly is considered unethical, even though so far it has not been proven to have committed fraudulent practices. It should be said that he is not etiquette but ethical.

We are more sympathetic to people who are polite, friendly, and well-groomed even though they are jerks than people who are ethical despite their bad appearance. Ethics and etiquette are soaked in the same mud that many of us are no longer able to tell the difference between the two. Religious people are also starting to catch this virus. Everywhere we see religious people are all Arab in appearance. Bearded, turbaned, with robe, black forehead, the long veil that says Sharia and so on.

Even if we take it, not a few people who look like that are caught in legal cases. The closest example, clerics on television, was not the only one or two who were caught in legal cases. Not to mention the corruptors, from those who wear the veil to the turf, all of them are in prison. I think this is one of the results we are more concerned with aspects of etiquette than ethics. We forget that ethics teaches us not only to be fair to others but to be fair to ourselves too.

I think etiquette is important, but the priority is still under ethics. Religion, especially Islam also has a lot to say about etiquette. How to dress, put the right side first, how to eat well, and other ways. However, if we trace it, religion talks more about ethics. You must do good, you must not be arrogant, you must not lie, you must forgive, be tolerant, and so on.

The teachings on etiquette (in Islam) are mostly written in hadith, while the teachings on ethics are written in the Al-Quran. In Islam, the position of the Qur'an is higher than the hadith. For me, this indicates that Islam emphasizes ethics more than etiquette. Because, after all, ethics talks about morals. Perfecting morals is one of the goals of Rasulullah SAW being sent to the world.

Etiquette does not apply when we are alone. If you are eating alone, you are free to put your feet on a chair or the table. But ethics applies anywhere and anytime. If we eat in a restaurant that is busy and running away, then our conscience will automatically punish us with feelings of guilt because we have violated ethics. If we take it easy after committing an ethical violation, then it is questionable whether our conscience is still alive or not. The only sanction in the field of ethics is an uneasy heart condition or in the language of religion, this is a sin.

It seems we are already in the same muddy as etiquette and etiquette, making it difficult to tell which ethics is etiquette. Hopefully, with this article, we can think for a moment and clear up the parables that are often confused. Hopefully, all the readers of this article are not hypocrites who are only concerned with the aspects of etiquette rather than ethics. Be an ethical person, because with ethics we can't be hypocritical. Because, he said, the deepest hell was created for hypocrites.