Essay Example on Promise-Keeping: Morally Crucial for Trust, Security and Character

I agree that promise-keeping is morally crucial. I believe that when a promise is delivered, trust and confidence is established. Keeping promises makes people feel secure and avoid situations that cannot be trusted. If a person keeps a promise, they form a bond with the other individual. Promises are so crucial because they control the balance of who a person to allow in life and who to leave out. They also enable us to differentiate the characters of various people. I believe that keeping a promise reflects a person's honesty and integrity. However, I believe it is impossible to follow through on every single promise a person makes in life. When a promise is broken with no apparent reason, it can break the relationship, trust, and integrity of the promise giver to the receiver.

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I agree that breaking a promise is sometimes morally permissible. As our readings indicate, a promise is made without completely knowing the situations of the future. If a promise was made on what the person thinks the future circumstance will be, then it is possible that the promise cannot be sustained because of a change in those perceived situations. Most circumstances are usually out of the giver of the promise and the receiver's control.

I consider some particular situations morally acceptable to break a promise. This can be a situation where harm or individual hindrance can occur to the promise giver in their effort to fulfill that promise. For instance, some people promise their spouse's financial stability in the future. Nevertheless, when that time comes, they find themselves in a situation where they cannot guarantee the promise of financial stability. No matter how much they try, they fail to meet the financial needs of their spouses. Lack of financial stability is no one's fault. Sometimes a situation is out of control and nobody can save it. Even if a person desires to assure their spouses that they can fulfill their financial needs, they may fail because they do not know about tomorrow.

As Christians, we always learn that it is not easy to predict the future. Sometimes things can turn out to be worse than expected. Sometimes we do things purely out of good intentions. In other cases, we do a thing because of what we receive. When a person believes that they will be loved, they can promise financial stability in the future. We might believe that we need to promise something to ensure that the other person likes us.

I believe that some situations are morally obligatory to break a promise. Promises can vary in importance. A child could ask his mother to promise that they will give them cupcakes after they finish their food. However, the child's mother knows that he is allergic to the cupcakes. The mother is morally obligated to not provide the cupcakes to the kid because it might cause detrimental health effects. The kid may not comprehend that the cupcakes will be detrimental to his health and may feel broken after the promise is not fulfilled. Christians understand that it is crucial to fulfilling their promises. Nevertheless, in situations which can cause harm to the other person, Christians are advised to do everything possible to avoid it.

Bibliography

Hardin, Russell. David Hume: Moral and Political Theorist. Oxford: OUP Oxford, 2009.