The Art of Identifying and Maintaining Values In Our Society
What Are Values?
“The demarcation between a positive and a negative desire or action is not whether it gives you an immediate feeling of satisfaction but whether it ultimately results in positive or negative consequences.” – Dalai Lama “The Art of Happiness" p 28.
The word “value” can have various meanings depending on the person. Everyone has a different personality, interpretation and perspective on life. What one values, another may despise and vice versa. Depending on your background, environment and current life situation you can value different things, and things you may never have thought of before. Thus, what we call “value” is subjective and bound to infinite interpretations.
However, at the end of all these interpretations we meet at the same core values. Ask yourself; would you rather hear a lie or the truth? Would you rather be trusted or overlooked? In the end of the day, we all want to see and attain the same values as one another. Trust, honesty, righteousness, courage, patience, humility, compassion and forgiveness are only a few of these universal values that we all seek and marvel.
These values allow human beings to do what is right for each given situation. These values allow human beings to fulfill theirdharma. These values allow human beings to stay in the middle path, never getting carried away with life’s highs and lows. These values remind us of why we are here in this world and they give us direction to further better the world we live in. These values are instilled in our greatest figures of history like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. We must learn from the past in order to sustain the present, and better the future. Without these values, humans are no different than animals. We have been given the capacity to differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad. We must use this gift to our advantage, instead of losing it to social pressures or changes.
Do Values Change?
“What he laboured for and earned, he must give up; he cannot swallow it; what he acquired by trading will afford him no joy; because he has crushed and neglected the poor and has seized houses which he had never built” (Bible; Chapter 20, p. 413).
Values have guided humans from the creation of this material world. Yes, they are subject to deviate from their original meaning and purposes as time progresses and more interpretations are created. Nevertheless, the core values that every human being is looking to attain in themselves and in their children, spouse, and friends can be traced back to the original meaning. In a conversation I was having with a friend, she said that in order to be a successful businessperson one must be shrewd, crude, and selfish. This caught my attention when the only thing I could think of was how sad it was that we can say that so acceptingly and assertively. This is an example of how values can change, but temporarily. This is why we have great historical and present figures to remind us of what the true values are. However, we must always actively analyze these great figures and conclude why they are great and what values they hold. After this realization, we can improve ourselves and retain our true values. This deviation from the truth happens when we forget that we are part of a society, or a bigger being. When man becomes selfish, narrow minded and enclosed, he loses sight of the overall good he must provide. We see unfaithful spouses, dishonest friends, and non-remorseful terrorists, but we never once believe that they are helping humanity. We never look at them in positive ways, nor do we commend them. This alone can remind us that everyone knows what is right; but losing sight of these values is easy. It is important to always remember that a virtuous man is not only loved by the people but by himself. He is the happiest in times of warfare and in times of peace.
In my generation, a majority of the children have lost sight of their true values. Everything is geared towards the media, fame, money and sexuality. The newspaper headlines in India and America are filled with articles regarding “how to make more money” and “how to lose weight for that summer body.” These headlines are manipulative ways of advertisement and sales. It seems as though the world revolves around a giant wad of money, instead of the sun. We are pressured to look the best, be the best and do the best. That sounds right. So what’s wrong with that? It’s not right to achieve all those things at the expense of others and your own self-respect and dignity. It is important to remember that these things are superficial and will not go with you at the end of this life. We are brought into this world with no material possessions and we will leave the same way. I wish people in my generation would realize that money, looks and fame are not our priorities or values. It is easy to deviate from the truth, but that is where our older generation must come into play. We learn these true values and how to live by them through our traditions that are passed on from generation to generation.
Who Has Values?
Socrates: “And so of the virtues, however many and different they may be, they have all a common nature which makes them virtues; and on this he who would answer the question, “What is virtue?“ would do well to have his eye fixed: Do you understand?”
– Meno By Plato Written 380 B.C.E
From Socrates to your next-door neighbor, everyone has values. They may not be the same values, but everyone has their own personal values that they follow. Whether it be honesty or nonviolence, even a child has values. It is not necessary for someone to be religious in order to have values. An infant, before they are introduced to religious teachings or beliefs, has values. If you observe an infant they are always loyal to their parents; they may crawl away from their parents but they will always come back to their parents. Loyalty is innate in an infant. Values are innate in all human beings. Values can be seen throughout different religions such as in the Ten Commandments; thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not bear false witness (lie). In a marriage ceremony, vows are written and said in order to assure that these values of honesty, loyalty, and trust are abided by for life. Values are everywhere in this world, residing in everyone. It is a matter of how much the person wants to live by these values that distinguishes people from one another. A monk lives a lifestyle very differently than a murderer; but they still know the same values. One must strengthen their will power and clear their mind in order to live a life consistent with their values.
Why Do We Need Values?
Those human beings who always execute regularly these injunctions of Mine with full faith, without envy; all of them become free from the bondage of reactions from actions). – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 31.
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Imagine for a second that no one had values in this world. Would we be closer to world peace or farther? Would we have less wars? Would there be less hate crimes? You get my point. Without values and the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, we are animals. A chimp and a human have 99% the same genetic makeup. What allows us to differentiate ourselves is the facility to rationalize. This allows us to strengthen our buddhi, or intellect. If we couldn’t fortify this faculty we would not be able to further ourselves, physically, mentally or spiritually.
Sometimes the right thing feels bad. A clairvoyant person can discriminate between right and wrong in each situation because of their values. In the Mahabharat, the Battle of Kurukshetra, between the cousins, Kauravas and Pandavas, depicts the value of righteousness. It illustrates the battle between god and evil, which are also the mental tendencies in every human being. With righteousness in mind, the Pandavas (representing dharma) won the battle against their own family. This shows that the truth prevails and that sometimes the right thing may not always seem right.
This is an example of how we need values in order to make the right decisions in life. We need values so we can better humanity. With personal values, we acquire discipline. With discipline we achieve our goals. And when we achieve our goals, our spirits are uplifted and we are happier with ourselves. Values give us a sense of identity. Although it is important to remember, that your personal values should never be imposed on someone else’s values. Nor should your values be inflexible and closed to change.
We talk about world peace, but without values such as nonviolence, trust and honesty how will we attain world peace? Deceit, dishonesty, and jealousy have misguided many into wars, battles, and feuds. Without values, we would be animals. We would never reach salvation in this cycle of birth.
If you haven’t noticed, each quote above has been taken from a different religion or culture. Buddhism, Christianity, Greek Mythology, and Hinduism all have been quoted to show that regardless of religion or culture, our values are all the same and just as important. What we strive for as human and spiritual beings can be traced back to the same basic values. It is important to stick by your values, in order to maintain consistency and discipline in your life. Without these two elements, you will be swayed by other people, events in your life, and by your own mind at times. Don’t be afraid to stick to your values, modify them when needed and attain new ones throughout life. We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but instead we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
-SK
