By Ed Trainor
Our values should be the lodestone (guiding light) on which we base our actions. A universal value is one that produces behavior that is beneficial to the practitioner and to the recipients. Examples are respect, kindness, love, honesty, courage, justice, fairness, and patience. We also have our personal values, such as health, learning, self-discipline, humor, spiritual growth, and religious practice.
Sometimes, we lose track of our values and need to take stock. Some things to consider:
1) What are your values? Have you thought about this recently? They can change over time.
2) Sometimes, we have a blind spot and don’t see the gap between our professed values and behavior. Someone once assured me they were concerned about the poor – the “worthy” poor.
3) Is there a conflict between a universal value we claim and a personal value? We might “love thy neighbor” as ourselves yet not love those whose beliefs or behavior differ from our personal values.
4} How do we respond to situations with competing values? Example: Your daughter gets in trouble with the law. Do you cover for her or make her face the consequences?
5) Are you living your best self? David Hawkins writes, “The universe holds its breath as we choose instant by instant, which pathway to follow;…our decisions ripple through the universe of consciousness to affect the lives of all.
Ed Trainor
