Morals and values are the foundation of our relationships. They point to the kind of people we are. They are behind the face we show as we rise to face the day. They frame the words we speak and the actions we take at home, work and on the street.
Growing up, I had role models who showed me that we are responsible for the words that come out of our mouths. My mother used to echo Thumper’s mom in Bambi, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” My father would often say, “Your life is in the hands of anyone who makes you lose your temper.” They also stood up for the underdog and donated to charities with their time as volunteers and money when they could, as they also said, “Charity begins at home.”
Can you look yourself in the eye at the end of the day after you have interacted with the world? Are your values in alignment with your behaviors? Do you walk the talk? Do you surround yourself with people’s whose values reflect your own? Do you sell out for acceptance? Do you make exceptions and live in denial? If you were to teach a child about how to live on the planet, what kind of role model would you be? Do you clean up your side of the street and leave the campground better than you found it? How about voting with your dollars? Do you refrain from supporting companies that underpay and overwork their employees? Do you align with elected officials whose policies heal or harm the planet? Do you purchase items from independent artists, writers, and musicians? Do you show up, stand up and speak out for those who are voiceless or disenfranchised? If you have a religious belief, do you practice it outside the structure of church, synagogue, temple or mosque? If you vote for particular politicians, do they speak for you and your values? If you made choices based on single or limited issues, and regret pulling a certain lever, are you now taking action to ameliorate any possible damage done? Are your own words those of love and reconciliation or hatred and divisiveness? Do you walk lightly on the Earth knowing that what you do has a ripple effect? Do you realize that your thoughts, words, and deeds feed the collective soup pot? Do you practice Tikkun Olam (repair of the world in Hebrew)? Do you take your own inventory each day? Are you willing to make amends if you have wronged another? Are you able to love yourself through the process?
Can you let your compass point True North?
“Never compromise your values.”
― Life, the Truth, and Being Free
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