Problem:
"Be careful that our ethical perspectives do not become moral judgments which could cloud our thinking." One important element my manager always points out in heated situations is to remember to take our emotions out of the equation and stick to the facts.
One example involved a tiff between two grown women in the ladies restroom at work. We are fortunate enough to have an entire wall that is a window in this particular restroom - with two sliding window "shades" that are white glass to let the light in, but be private. Some people like them wide open; some prefer them closed all the way, some like them cracked...etc. You can imagine how many times these get moved during the day. I was "privileged" to be in there the day a person that likes them open was drying her hair after showering from jogging when a person that does not like them open at all came in. (We are on the second floor and directly across from these windows are offices in the factory - that do face the restroom windows, but during the day with the sunshine I personally don't think they can see in...). Anyway, the situation was oddly verbal and bizarre, I won't bore anyone with the details - but Human Resources had to be involved with these two woman.
Luckily for me, I was a "witness" and got to ask questions. That is where my boss reminded me to stick to the facts and not let my emotions control my behavior. He did this because the instigator in this situation is a person I work with and she is extremely difficult to work with. I had an obligation to stick to the facts I heard and not let her past offenses cloud my thinking. Explain.