Values: The foundational pillars of life

Let us review the following situations from our daily life:

1. You walk into a medical store with a list of medicines to buy. You don’t have change so you hand over a Rs.2000 note for the medicines worth Rs.600. The shopkeeper hands you the items along with the remaining cash back. You walk out of the store counting the cash. You realize you have been paid extra Rs.500 by the shopkeeper.
2. You want to take a few days off from work for a wedding you have to attend. Just three weeks before you had taken off for your vacation. You are uncomfortable asking for more leaves from your manager again and that too in such a short time interval. You also want to save on your earned leaves as they can be encashed later. Your friend who is getting married suggests you feign sickness at work and come for the wedding.
3. Your colleague at work is a good friend of yours. You both report to the same manager, however your friend seems to have a better rapport with him. This sometimes makes you uncomfortable and even jealous. You think you are more hard working, smart, and better qualified in work than your friend. You even indulge in backbiting and gossiping about him with other colleagues, but on the surface maintain a friendly relationship with him. Your last project fetched you good accolades from senior management and other people on the team, so you think you deserve a promotion this time. You are eagerly waiting for the announcement to be made in the team meeting, however, to your dismay, your friend gets promoted.
4. You pulled out of a tight space in a parking lot and dented the car next to you. You’re quite sure no one saw you.
5. You have to submit the analysis of a case study in college. You are nearing the deadline, however, you feel too lazy to work on the report. You did an online search and found the exact case study with a solution posted on a website. You are tempted to copy-paste the solution and submit.

Now, let us put ourselves in the shoes of protagonists in each of the above situations, and honestly answer to ourselves — “What would I do?”.

Our response to the above situations, and umpteen others that we face on a daily basis in our life is driven by our value system.

What are Values?

Values in simple terms indicate the regard for a thing, situation, or attitude, which for some reason, is esteemed or prized by the value holder. They are the principles, standard convictions, and beliefs that people adopt as their guidelines in their daily activities. It is values that shape and give strength to one’s character and reflect his/her attitudes, choices, decisions, judgements, relationships and goals in life. In that sense values are the cause, and our response/ actions, the effect.

Values can be broadly categorised under many heads, such as, ethical values, political values, religious values, organization values, economic values etc. They can mean both, ‘end state values’ as well as ‘values as means’. End state values like profitability, money, popularity, fame and the like are hardly liable to any contention, and so, we are not so much concerned about what is valued, but rather how one goes about achieving what is valued, is a true reflection of his character and value system.

Subjectivity of values

Values are intrinsic, relative, and subjective in themselves, differing for different people based on their family, cultural, and religious upbringing, education, and multiple other influencing factors. In light of its subjectivity, it has been argued by many that individuals should be left to themselves to determine their own value system, and that educational institutions should confine themselves only to those studies where objective knowledge is discernible or determinable.

Hence, in our present system of education we are greatly removed from the ideals that are implied in value-education. Teaching about values is limited to a subject of moral science at best, without any real focus on experiential knowledge. The process of education is primarily a pursuit of piecemeal assimilation of information, with the end goal being success in material terms. The knowledge of holistic vision of life is hardly given any place. The repercussions of this are far and wide. As a society and nation, we have a growing number of individuals with disintegrated and self-centered personalities who lack the vision to see beyond their own selfish interests. As a result it is not surprising to see very many people with degraded values at the ground level, as well as in various leadership positions across organizations and countries.

Universal Values

While subjectivity of values cannot be denied, we should ask the more fundamental question — are values always subjective?, and isn’t it imperative to educate posterity in value oriented education to prevent the problem of value erosion?

As we reflect a little over this, and think of ‘values-as-means’, we can easily realize that there is an objectivity and universality about certain values, which have been accepted by people of all faiths and cultures. These are ‘universal human values’ or what we call ‘ethical values’. In Sanskrit an ethical value can be defined as Dharma, which is a standard or code of conduct for living harmoniously with nature.

The source of the ethical values lies in the way in which I wish others to view or treat me. In other words, my standard for what is ‘proper’ behaviour or ‘good’ attitude is based on the way in which I expect others to treat me. For example, I expect others to speak the truth to me, or, be honest with me. So, speaking the truth and honesty are ethical values which I consciously or unconsciously concur with.

Other behavioural norms such as non-hurting, love, humility, honesty, righteousness, charity etc. are all based upon the same consideration of how I would like others to treat me. Thus, ethical values/ behaviours are not just arbitrary man-made or subjective rules but stem from an inherent common regard for one’s own interest and comfort. Hence, ethical values are natural and universal. There may be some cultural variations in degree or emphasis but the basic standards have certain universality.

Ethical Values: Universal in content but not so universal in application

Ethical values stem from an inherent theory of — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. This can be adopted as a simple rule of conduct in daily living. However, in practice things are not so straightforward.

Although general ethical standards are universal, it does not mean they are absolute. What is considered ethical (dharma) in one situation becomes unethical (adharma) in another, depending on the context. This is because we can hardly control others’ behaviour and actions. And thus, different circumstances and context can demand different calls to action.

For example, in the Mahabharata battlefield Arjuna was confused between dharma and adharma and refused to fight the war. With his dilemma he turned to Lord Krishna for help and guidance. The Lord then taught the most secretive and valuable knowledge (knowledge of the Self) to Arjuna, and called upon him to do his duty as a warrior. He asked Arjuna to fight the war (which seemed like an adharmic act) because as a warrior it was his dharma to fight against the evils and wrongdoings. Dharma in this context became the larger good to fight the wrongs even though that meant standing against his kins.

However, that a standard may be relative does not mean that it is purely subjective. Although sometimes relative in applicability, basic ethical standards have a universal content because there is a similarity in everyone’s reaction to being hurt, cheated, lied to and bullied. The universal content of values can be negated only if I have no concern how the other person treats me. If I want other people to behave in a certain manner, I am caught in a value system.

The value system pops an interesting aspect of human behaviour. While I am more likely to apply the standard norms or values for behaviour and attitude on others, in my own application and conduct I will be much less consistent and relative to the situation. In general practice, I will judge others on their values more consistently and more absolutely than myself. For example I expect others to not lie to me, but my application of the same value is very situational in my case. In other words, I expect others to observe ethical standards so I can be the beneficiary, but it seems less easy for me to be consistent in the application of these standards to my own behaviour.

The reason as to why it is so can be understood by a close examination of what can be called a ‘Value structure’.

Value Structure

Value structure is an individual’s underlying framework of values which shapes one’s character or personality. Every individual has a personal and distinct value structure which he/she develops over time. It is this value structure that drives his attitude/behaviour, decisions and actions in life. Value structure consists of three layers:

• ASSIMILATED VALUES or PERSONAL VALUES
• HALF ASSIMILATED VALUES
• UNASSIMILATED VALUES

ASSIMILATED VALUES:

Assimilated values are our core values which we truly believe in. It essentially defines who we are. These values initially could have been obligatory values, imposed by family, society, or other external factors, but have been well assimilated and accepted by us. In degree of importance, we place these as our most important values and hence our actions are representative of our assimilated values. Any value, when it becomes my personal value, becomes choice-less for me. I do not have to think about it. Neither do I have any conflict in conforming to these values.

For example, I do not get into a debate about brushing my teeth or taking bath everyday as these are well assimilated personal values of hygiene to me. In a similar way, if speaking truth is my personal value, my compliance to truthfulness under any situation will become spontaneous and natural to me.

HALF ASSIMILATED VALUES:

Half assimilated values, as the name suggests, are obligatory values which are not our core personal values yet. We keep hearing about these from our parents, society, religion and teachers as ‘good’ code of conduct to be practiced, but we do not really understand its importance well. Given a situation where we have to choose between half assimilated value and a situational value with a highly desired personal end, we would compromise on our half assimilated value. In degree of importance they lag behind our assimilated personal values, as they are neither fully accepted nor fully rejected by us.

For example, in the first decision scenario where I am paid extra Rs 500 by the shopkeeper, if the value for money is well assimilated for me, while speaking truth or honesty are just a half assimilated values made obligatory by society/ religion as a good code of conduct, I am most likely to walk away with that extra money. In fact I’d be happy about it because with that extra money I can instantly buy a couple of things, while on the other hand, I don’t quite understand what good will speaking the truth or honesty serve. Clearly when the values of truth and honesty are nebulous to me, they are more likely to be compromised for a desired situational personal value.

UNASSIMILATED VALUES:

Unassimilated values are those which we either do not concur with or have not applied in our lives yet. In that sense some of the unassimilated values could be aspirational to us. The values which we do not concur with could be the result of our conditioning or strongly opinionated mindset. In degree of importance we place the least value to our unassimilated values and hence they are less likely to cause any internal conflict when compromised.

For example, non-injuring as a value is very partially and selectively chosen by a lot of people, and hence, when it comes to consuming meat which involves killing of animals, many people argue that as humans we are on the top of the food chain and hence free to consume whatever we like. The argument is further corroborated as, “consuming meat provides essential nutrients prescribed for the human body”. This is an example of unassimilated value which is modified as well as justified by many.

Compromising Values lead to Conflict

When we fail to live up to our value structure, we are in conflict and suffer guilt. Any ethical or general value, be it assimilated or half assimilated, when compromised for a desired situational end, will linger under our nose as an irritant. Values have the power to jolt our conscience, causing internal conflict, which would more likely take the form of guilt, self condemnation, regret, discomfort, and a sense of failure. The intensity of the conflict may vary based on the sensitivity and conscience of individuals, but it definitely is there, more likely to cause a split or disintegration in personality.

For example, in the first decision scenario when we choose not to tell the shopkeeper that he has handed an extra Rs 500 note and walk away with it, something keeps murmuring inside — “Speak the truth”; speak the truth.” and later as “I should have returned the money”, “I should have been honest”, etc. Fulfilling an immediate end at the expense of a general value may bring some passing comfort but, in the long run, it adds to our discomfort by increasing our accumulation of mental conflicts, large and small.

Having a conflicted mind is certainly not a pleasant feeling. When we are in conflict, we are split. When we are split, we cannot fully enjoy anything because our mind is not centered. We tend to have a disintegrated personality, and with an uncentered and disintegrated mind we cannot achieve anything in life. As a result our quality of life suffers.

Life expression comes from Value structure

Swami Dayanand Saraswati beautifully quotes in his book Value of Values:

“The expression of my life is just the expression of my well-assimilated value structure. What I do is but an expression of what is valuable to me”.

Values are the sum total of ways of living of people. Conducting our lives in accordance with the right set of personal values not only provides us the necessary balance and peace of mind (mind free of conflict), but also elevates and ennobles our consciousness.

Thus, values serve the process of ‘becoming’, in the sense of transformation of the level of consciousness to purer higher levels. They help us distinguish between the ‘desired’ and the ‘desirable’, between the ‘delectable’ and the ‘electable’, between the ‘short-term’ and the long-term, between the preya (the pleasant) and the shreya (the good).

Once we rise above our petty, self-centered mindset, and begin to see the value of living a virtuous life with ethical values, we can assimilate them in terms of knowledge through our conscious will. For the person with well assimilated ethical values, life becomes simple, free of conflicts and peaceful.

References:

Value of Values by Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Management by Values by S.K Chakraborty