The question is just what it sounds like. For purposes of this thread, it doesn’t matter what the Bible, the Q’uran, the government, or anybody else thinks of your actions: only you.
The poll will be up in a moment; results will be private. I am okay with people having a discussion in the thread as well as (or rather than) voting in the poll, but for Athena’s sake don’t confess to any felonies, because that would be stupid.
My personal moral/ethical code specifically precludes any breach on my part.
Rather than answer that specific question, let me tell you what I told one of my sons one time. He’s totally honest, to a fault, (like me) & would rather be hit by a truck than to lie (or steal.) Occasionally it has cost him—friends, street cred—whatever. I said, “You do know, because you have the reputation of being completely honest, if you ever REALLY have to lie to cover your ass—you can, & everybody will believe you.” He said, “I know.”
Pretty cool for a nerd.
Certainly not since primary school.
The whole point of having a moral code is that I don’t break it. I treat other people like I would like to be treated and have for many years now (before that I could be a little animal, in my very early teens and childhood). I seem to be a much ‘better’ person than most people I know, in this way. Most of my friends betray people that care about them right and left. Everyone can see that I do not; I’m not totally delusional, I get feedback that agrees with my perception here. This doesn’t mean I’m all sweetness and light, but I don’t express my anger to people unless I feel it’s productive for them to be told that I think they are acting wrongly, etc.
However, my personal moral code is pretty lax on what I consider ‘white’ lies, and even some degree of stealing.
2 years ago. I was late to work and boss was already upset. I saw a coyote on the side of the road that had been hit by a car, it was all messed up, but still alive. Instead of stopping shoot it, I drove past and called Animal Control. Its eyes as it licked its back legs haunt me still.
Last Friday I did two things which I would normally have considered unacceptable…
I pointed someone who needed to hire a person towards a colleague of mine.
And you’ll say “Nava, have you forgotten how to count? That’s one thing!” Well, no, you have to split it up.
Except that in this case I think it could be a match made in Hell and they bloody well deserve each other. And if he’s out of the market for a few years, the probability that I’ll run into his mug during that period goes to nil, which is nice. Now I need to decide whether I should go have Confession or not 
I don’t know whether ‘speeding’ bothers me enough yet.
Gossiping definitely hits the moral code alarm but I still occasionally have gossip-slips and feel bad afterwards.
I must be delusional… however I’m an atheist who believes in this one short life, period; I surely don’t wanna color it petty or with guilt trip if I can help it.
I haven’t yet, but its so close. I really, REALLY want a Maine Coon kitten. As a pet rescue person, I cannot buy from a breeder no matter how responsibile they are.
M has offered to buy me a kitten from any breeder I choose. There goes my “I can’t afford to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for a kitten” arguement.
I’m so torn. Personal gratification vs “don’t buy while homeless pets die”.
I’ll probably cave if I don’t stop looking at breeder sites, all of those cute, adorable, huggable, smoosy mini tanks.
I chose over a year. About four years ago, I drove drunk. To the liquor store, to buy more alcohol, in a snowstorm, down an icy hill. When I sobered up the next day, I decided I did have a problem and a few days later confessed my hidden alcoholism to my (then) fiance. Breaking my moral decision to never, EVER drink and drive was how I decided I really did have a problem.
Kittens from a breeder still need homes. Go get one. Get another shelter/rescued kitten to go with it, if you think you’ll feel guilty.
I can sympathize with this one. We foster rescue dogs, and actually adopted our current dog when he came in as one of our fosters. Ten years ago, before we knew anything about breeders and rescue organizations, we bought a Siberian Husky. We had to put her down in the Spring of 2010. Lately, I’ve been really, really wanting to get a new Husky pup, but none of the rescues have any proper looking pups. I KNOW the looks of the dog shouldn’t matter, but ugh.
Can you see if there is maybe a Maine Coon rescue organization in your area/state? That way, you can still get one, but you’re getting one from a rescue.
Mine happened over five years ago, and it’s a little complicated.
I needed car repairs to the tune of $800, and I was broke. I did not, repeat, did not want to up my credit card any further and get even deeper in debt. So the company I worked for at the time was pretty cool about helping out employees. I told my boss, I got a manual company check for the $800, that I thought was going to be deducted out of my pay.
So I get the repairs. And I wait. And I wait. And I wait. Three paychecks later, no deductions are taken from my paycheck.
So, I mention this to my boss, and the response is along the lines of “Yeah? So? Shut-up about it.”
Now, I know he was doing this to be nice to me. He liked the work I did. But still, I felt horrible. I didn’t want to tell on him, not when he had done it to get me out of a tough spot.
Long story short, I shut-up about it. But I still feel bad about it.
The last time I got horny.
j/k by the way 
In my opinion, responsible breeders don’t have kittens needing homes. They have a waiting list because they only breed their queens once every year or so.
Not to highjack the tread, but I feel that any breeder who has a kitten to sell when someone wants on, means that the breeder is in it for the money and doesn’t care about the line.
snips happened.
There are not enough Maine Coons here in the desert for a local rescue group to form around them. The adults get snatched up almost as soon as we list them. I’ve never seen kittens available.
Like you, I foster and rescue. Currently, I have (takes a minute and counts on fingers) 9 kittens and 2 adults up for adoption. Wonderful, lovely cats and kittens. Purring at my touch, meowing and sticking their paws out of the cages for attention.
I still want a Maine Coon kitten. An orange one, male, one who grow to be over 20 lbs and want to sleep on my pillow and make my allergies go nutz from hair.
Looks shouldn’t count. My moral code says that. Everything I know about cats means it shouldn’t matter.
I still want one.
I’m having a hard time with this question. I feel like I’m never quite living up to the standards of my moral/ethical code. I don’t do enough to address the issues I care about, don’t do enough volunteer work, and am not as kind as I should be. I could think of ten ways right now I’m not living up to those standards, but that might mean I’ve set the standards too high.
More recently, I naively got caught up in my family’s gossip and a lot of people I love ended up getting hurt. I feel like I was the one person who could have slowed that train down but I jumped right on and made the situation worse and more complicated than it had to be. And then I realized I’ve basically been doing that for years without realizing it. I messed up big.
As far as a serious, serious breach, six years ago I betrayed a confidence out of spite. I think it’s the only thing I’ve ever done where I really didn’t care about the other person’s feelings. I maybe even did it specifically to hurt. And I’ve always regretted it. To me it’s not the act that I measure so much as the intent behind the act. And that was the one case where I really think I actually tried to hurt a person.
I don’t think I have since my mid-twenties. Wanted to really badly a few years ago but the opportunity passed before I could act. I probably would have.
I got my abbyssinian queen for free from a breeder who really needed to place a breeder momma who she didn’t want to have any more kittens.
I didn’t have to pay $750 and I have a lovely kitty who is exactly what I wanted.
Call around, and see…
For the OP- I am not going to tell you. But I feel bad.
I voted “I’m practically a saint. Or possibly delusional. It’s hard to tell sometimes?”
My personal code of ethics and behavior is built around my natural personality. Lots of things I will not do, because I never have. Lots of things I’ll do in certain situations, but only in that situation. Lots of things I have no problem with. I do get feedback from my friends and co-workers, so I don’t think I’m totally delusional. I also figured out the bit about “if I ever need to lie, I will be believed” a long time ago. Haven’t had to ever use it, but it’s nice that it’s there. I’m also pretty set in my ways by now, so I don’t foresee any changes happening.