WHAT'S AN ETHIC OF CARE?
From what I've read I've had a difficult time putting a definition together for the Ethic of Care. It seems as if an ethic of care is one of those complex terms that is hard to define yet you have a decent understanding of what all encompasses a term. From my understanding it's a large term emcompassing a lot of ideas/theories. What I have come to define the term of an ethic of care is that there are NO fixed rules that must be followed when providing an ethic of care, there's no "exact formula."
There is certainly a (moral) difference of right vs. wrong and providing an ethic of care is putting yourself in someone else's position. It seems I have to envision their situation as my own to understand. The interesting aspect of an ethic of care that didn't come immediately to mind is there is the ability to provide care through action as well as not any taking action.
I can apply this to my everyday life and future career. When I come into a situation I have improved on not passing immediate judgement on someone. I think I also need to apply the ethic of care in everday life in that I should'nt avoid caring/helping someone because of my own obligations and "busy schedule" that everyone else has as well.
I work at an office where there are a portion of clients who have taken paths in their life that are less than favorable going from drugs, domestic abuse (staying with abusive partners exposing their children), having their children taken away by DHS, etc. and wanting to get their children back or whatever the case may be. The majority of these clients who are in this position desperately want to change and when I first starting working there I found it extremely hard to feel compassionate toward them.
Just like the article, I found many of the clients with hardships that appear to not care because of the choices they have made are completely the opposite and want the best for their family/children. I hope to eventually go to law school and practice family law as well and think the ethic of care is a extremely important in that respect.
Finding a personal definition or even trying to think of your own way to explain "caring" was hard for me too! But you are right it is alot of things that are combined into one that makes the word so meaningful. It seems like you are working hard to help others and find a way to be involved un an "uncaring" surrounding in order to help them as well as you.
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