Questioning Morals : Do universally valid morals exist?

Do universally valid morals exist or are they merely relative to cultural approval or individual choice? When I first began this essay, I believed that a reply to this question was necessary in order to answer our first fundamental question, given the reality of our pluralistic and multicultural student base. As I did not have a clear opinion in this matter, I researched the issue and discovered as many arguments for universal morals as against. …

…and have indeed frustrated many ethicists. I believe that they arise from the application of moral principles in their negative rather than positive sense. It is far better to encourage virtue than it is to discourage vice, for instance, by focusing on the principle that honesty is right rather than lying is wrong. Moral questions of this nature shift our focus from "what we should do" in a particular situation to "what we should be".