REFLECTION

“ WHEN YOU PRAY ONLY FOR GOOD WEATHER FOR YOUR OWN PICNIC AND NOT FOR THE FARMERS WHO NEED THE RAIN, YOU ARE DOING THE OPPOSITE OF
WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ”

TASK:

1. What does this thought mean to you?
2. What moral values can you identify in this thought?

What would be the correct conduct behind Robin Hood´s legend?

Robin Hood is an archetypal figure in English folklore whose story originates from medieval times but who remains significant in popular culture where he is painted as a famous man for his gallantry, robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. His logic was that it was better to be an outlaw than face a corrupted justice system. He was a brilliant archer who lived in Sherwood Forest with his band of "merry men".
The stories of Robin portray him as a fearless outlaw leading his band of "merry men" (and women) against the tyranny of Prince John and the sheriff of Nottingham.
Robin's adventures come to an end when King Richard finally returns from the Crusades.

Task:


1.What moral values can you identify in Robin Hood´s legend?

2.Considering that robbery is an act against moral values can Robin Hood be justified in that he robbed to help the poorest? Give your reasons.

Moral Values & Covey´s Seven Habits

Affirming our moral values is one of the ways that could lead us to live a purposeful and good life. Do you agree? In order to reinforce our internal and natural resources, our values and principles, I thought it important to analyze Stephen Covey's Seven Habits which are considered to be a simple set of rules for life - inter-related and synergistic. The final goal is to find the relationship between Covey's Seven Habits if there is one, and the list of values you have chosen as the most important to you as an individual and as a future professional.

The following is a summary of: “ STEPHEN COVEY'S SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE®

Habit 1 - be proactive®
Among our human attributes are self-awareness, imagination, conscience and independent will therefore we can choose how we respond to situations. To be proactive is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. Self determination, choice, and the power to decide response to stimulus, conditions and circumstances.

Habit 2 - begin with the end in mind®
To begin with the end in mind is to suggest that we have some awareness of the end itself. Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.

Habit 3 - put first things first®
Covey calls this the habit of personal management.This is about organizing and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2. Covey says that habit 2 is the first, or mental creation; habit 3 is the second, or physical creation. Working on the foundation of Habits 1 and 2, you then have to manage yourself effectively to create a life congruent with the answers you elicited.

Habit 4 - think win-win®
Win/win is a frame of mind that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win/win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial, mutually satisfying. With a win/win solution, all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan. Covey calls this the habit of interpersonal leadership, necessary because achievements are largely dependent on co-operative efforts with others. He says that win-win is based on the assumption that there is plenty for everyone, and that success follows a co-operative approach more naturally than the confrontation of win-or-lose.

Habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood®
One of the great maxims of the modern age. Empathic listening is one of the key skills in this area. This involves much more than registering, reflecting, or even understanding the words that are said. In empathic listening, you listen with your ears, but you also listen with your eyes and with your heart. You listen for feeling, for meaning. This is Covey's habit of communication, and it's extremely powerful. Covey helps to explain this in his simple analogy 'diagnose before you prescribe'. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life.

Habit 6 - synergize®
Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution. By recognizing each person’s particular characteristics, their diversity, their strengths and qualities, their life experience – all those elements that make up the unique individual there is a greater chance of achieving synergy.

Habit 7 - sharpen the saw®
It underlies all the other habits because it is the habit which makes all the others possible. This is the habit of self renewal, says Covey, and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow.It is about renewing the four dimensions of your nature – physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional which all need feeding and developing. ”

THIS IS THE LIST OF MORAL VALUES YOU AGREE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND A FUTURE PROFESSIONAL.

Justice
Responsibility
Respect
Honesty
Solidarity
Loyalty
Tolerance
Generosity
Unity
Perseverance
Equality
Cooperation
Humility
Truthfulness
Empathy
Peace
Kindness
Friendship
Self – esteem
Freedom

TASK:

1. Can you see any relationship between the moral values you have chosen so far, and Stephen covey's seven habits of highly effective people ? If you agree, select from your list the most important values for you and match them with the corresponding habits according to Stephen Covey's description. Give your reasons.

Creating the engineer I would like to be

The following definition will help you to think about the desirable profile you would like to have when being an engineer.

Read it carefully, answer the given questions and make your comments.

The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development, also known as ECPD, defines Engineering as: “the creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property.”

Reflecting upon the definition above and taking into account how the work of engineers interacts with society and the environment, locally and globally, and the contribution, risks and impacts of their work in different cultural, social, economical and political contexts, would it be helpful to engineers to be able to apply not only their technical competence but also their professional knowledge according to deontological principles and universal values and ethics at the moment they have to face or solve problems, or make important decisions?

It is also important to reinforce what a value is. A value “refers to a claim about what is worthwhile, what is good. A value is a single word or phrase that identifies something as being desirable for human beings." Brincat and Wike, Morality and the Professional Life: Values at Work .

Would it be worthy to consider among the attributes of an engineer some well-known ethical values such as justice, responsibility, respect, honesty, solidarity and integrity ?

TASKS:
1. What do the above moral values mean to you?
2. Think of specific scenarios where you usually practice the mentioned values.
3. If you consider necessary think of any other moral values you can add to the given list.

“Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that has never been.” Theodore von Kármán