Strength Is In Values
The best example of this type of strength is Gandhi. What is incredible about his struggle is to have succeeded in conquering an entire empire, and to have achieved it thanks to the strength of his convictions and renouncing violence. However, there are many other contemporary heroes, less present in the history books, who through their actions perpetuate faith in this truth : strength is in values.
Many people throughout history have endured the most terrible vicissitudes just to stand up for their beliefs. They showed impressive strength. A strength that is born from within, from what is in their minds and in their hearts. It does not come from having physical, economic or other superiority. They manage to maintain themselves and often to conquer, using only their moral superiority.
It also happens in everyday life. We are able to face situations of injustice , falsehood or ignominy when our values are a compass to which we conform. The same goes for our goals: we become able to pursue them when they are based on clear and defined values. It’s about what gives us strength. It’s about what allows us to resist, to persist, and not to give up.
Why does strength come from values?
Ethics is the most complete product of culture . From the individual too. Values are what give coherence to a company. They also make social coexistence possible. These agreements, implicit and explicit, about what is good or desirable and bad or objectionable are what make up the fabric of society.
According to Jean Piaget, autonomous ethics is the most advanced point of moral evolution. It can only be achieved when intelligence has been sufficiently developed. It is the result of a long process of maturation, from the “anomie” or total lack of values with which we are born, to the “autonomy” or the capacity to think for ourselves and to draw our own conclusions. .
In addition to its social importance, ethics also play a decisive role in individual life. It is she who guides actions and gives them meaning. It is also the strength that allows you to face vicissitudes and stand up during difficult times.
For some, this ethic is supported, based on or even dictated by religion. They therefore cling to religious values in bad times. For others, it is based on a philosophy, a thesis or some other type of belief. We also meet people who give up values and take a pragmatic and cynical attitude towards life. They therefore renounce giving meaning to actions that go beyond personal interests and convenience. They protect themselves from disappointments, but they greatly impoverish their lives.
Behavior and values
Human beings go through a whole process of evolution before being able to build their own values. Not all reach the end of this process. Many remain in a phase known as “heteronomy”. In the latter, the child (or the adult) does not act according to his convictions or his values, but is guided by what the authority figures impose. For them, what the said authority figures have designated is good or bad. Their main objective is not to come into contradiction with such authority figures.
moral development comes to an end, the only authority we obey is conscience itself . Unlike the previous steps, values are not assumed due to tradition, repetition or because the dominant authority says so. They are the result of our own thinking, sometimes contrary to what the majority of society supports. In short, these are autonomous values.
We believe the values are meaningful. Attributes that we consider desirable or worthy of promotion. They guide behavior and give meaning to actions. They involve a commitment: to stand on the side that we consider appropriate or correct. Ethics are flexible. This is not a dogmatic mandate. It always depends on the conscious assessment that a person makes of different situations. It is precisely for this reason that it gives strength: it depends on one’s own conscience and not on an external mandate or improvisation.
There comes a time when it is appropriate to question the values within which our actions are framed . We often adhere to values out of habit or tradition, or just because most people believe the same. This is precisely what makes us sometimes feel lost. Not only does ethics give us the strength to pursue what we really want, it also makes it possible, in most cases, for our intention and actions to hold.
Our thoughts These values will be of particular importance, especially when they are shared by a greater number of people. They are consi …
