What comes to mind first whenever hearing about the word "morality" or "ethics"? If you thought about doing the "right" thing or helping those in need, then I can confidently assume that is the general idea of everyone too. There are many things we could consider as universally good such as donating food to beggars or giving money to typhoon victims. Our standards of good and bad stems from the teachings of our parents when we were kids and we gain a different perspectives of good and bad upon meeting different kinds of people. As kids we were taught to not bully other kids or to respectfully talk to adults. These are actions we might consider as morally good and ethical. Adding social, cultural, and societal norms to the equation it becomes a different story. What we consider as morally good may not be accepted by other cultures.
What really is morality? It is a term usually interchanged with ethics, but in actuality they have subtle differences that characterize them. Morality refers to the principles that have been ingrained into us. We have standards as to what is good and bad and is what we follow for preserving a healthy and harmonious relationship with our peers and acquaintances. We prefer to be morally good because it is what is accepted and doing anything different will cause chaos. It is also important to take note that what may be morally good for another person, may not be the same for others. They may have experienced different teachings from their parents when they were kids or had been exposed to an environment where actions some would consider as morally bad are normalized.
On the other hand, ethics, is a broad topic involving different moral codes and theories to make ethical decision-making. You may encounter situations in your daily life in which you will think before making an action, "if I make this decision, will someone get affected?" or "I must do this because it will greatly benefit me, but what if someone needed this opportunity more?". Ethics aims to provide guidelines that even if social, cultural, and political norms come in, it wouldn't matter. These include identifying ethical dilemmas, gathering all relevant facts and information, identifying potential people who would be affected by your decision, and self reflection of the outcome. By considering these guidelines, it will help you to make ethical decision-making better with the least to no amount of consequences.
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