Monday Real Talk: Are Ethics, Morals, and Values Being Left to Interpretation?

Lately, I’ve been asking myself a hard question:

Are ethics, morals, and values becoming things of the past—now blurred into a gray area, left up to interpretation?

I miss the era I was raised in.

Not because it was perfect—but because there was clarity.

We were taught about quality life choices. About how to treat people. About building relationships, honoring agreements, and understanding that your word mattered. You knew where you stood with people because expectations weren’t constantly shifting.

Now, I find myself in conversations where I think there’s mutual understanding—only to realize we’re not even speaking the same language. What I assumed was common ground turns out to be optional, flexible, or situational.

And that’s unsettling.

I’ve been trying to understand why this feels so disorienting. One thing I’ve learned is the difference between ethics and morals.

Ethics are often external—rules and standards created by society, professions, or institutions. Morals, on the other hand, are internal. They’re personal beliefs about right and wrong. Your conscience. Your values.

The problem is, when external ethics weaken or shift constantly, and internal morals aren’t clearly defined or nurtured, everything becomes negotiable.

What one person sees as integrity, another sees as inconvenience.

What one person sees as accountability, another sees as optional.

And somewhere along the way, honoring agreements started feeling outdated.

I’m not saying we all need to think the same. We don’t.

But I am saying that when core values become fluid, trust erodes. Communication breaks down. Relationships suffer.

I find myself somewhat lost—not in who I am, but in what shared principles we’re supposed to lean on anymore.

What are the strong anchoring concepts now?

Honesty? Respect? Responsibility? Follow-through?

Or are those things negotiable too?

This isn’t about nostalgia.

It’s about grounding.

Because without shared ethics and clearly held morals, everything becomes a gray area—and gray areas are hard places to build anything lasting.