To me, ethics is the set of guiding principles one uses to make choices and decide upon actions. A person's ethics may be as extreme as you describe, but they do not necessarily have to be such.
For myself, my ethics are based on the principle that one should do what will ultimately result in ones greatest happiness. A life based on the principles you list would not, to me, be a very happy one -- I'm just not that much into ascetism. I'm willing to accept a little risk, and maybe even a little bad karma (if such can really result from feeding oneself) so that my life is enjoyable. I see life as a gift, and part of that gift are the pleasures we can experience from good food, good friends, and so forth. When our devotion to our health becomes fanatical, it stops being fun.
So, yes, I agree with you -- total avoidance is a bummer, and should be, like, totally avoided, dig? <g>
On the other hand, there is the question of balance. Is it balanced to damage ones body for pleasure? Is it balanced to risk ones life in extreme sports in order to get a "rush"? Is it balanced to cower in ones bedroom, terrified to touch the doorknob because it has germs on it? Believe it or not, there are people who answer "yes" to each of these questions.
By my own ethics, however, I find that there are some risks that just do not balance out well. I do not want to experience self-mutilation. I no longer am willing to "play" with drugs. I don't want to jump out of an airplane or off of a bridge no matter what is strapped to my body when I do so. But I'm also not afraid to go and have some fun. Knowing where your own balance point lies, and living with that balance point, is responsibility. It also is behaving ethically, because the balance point is determined for each of us by our own ethics. |
