Living a Life of Values

Living a Life of Values

 

“The foundation of true joy is in the conscience.”

 

“The origin of all mankind was the same: it is only a clear and good conscience that makes a man noble, for that is derived from heaven itself.”[1]

 

         The Roman thinker Seneca may have been thinking the same thing as a lot of classical thinkers have thought of when he said these about having a good conscience.  A lot of these thinkers in the past and even in the present, in one way or another, have emphasized the importance of having a clear conscience, of living a life full of values.

Every one of us wants to have a peaceful, more harmonious world to live in and nobody will argue that to be able to achieve this, values such as integrity and excellence must be present in our system.

But what do we mean by values? By integrity and excellence?  How do we acquire this culture?  And in what ways do we exhibit these values?

A value is something that is important to someone.  It may be a positive quality in a person such as patience, industry or compassion.  It may also be something which is very important to a person such as happiness, intelligence and love.  Values encompass all the things that are essential in having a happy life.

Rodney Nillsen, in his paper The Concept and Creation of Academic Integrity, cited two meanings of integrity.  According to him, Sir Thomas More in 1633 used the word integrity to signify wholeness or completeness of something while the other meaning says that having integrity is having soundness of moral principle; that is, being upright, honest or sincere.  These two may look different from each other, but if we will analyze them, each of these definitions is essential in comprehending the deeper significance of the other.  Integrity has a deeper meaning than just having positive qualities.  In its complete sense, having these positive qualities make a person or an institution whole or complete.  Its meaning then embraces an ethical and moral connotation.[2]

Excellence also connotes something positive.  It means doing one’s best to achieve the best result.  It also means continuous search for truth and knowledge.

But can we really acquire a culture of integrity and excellence?  Is there such a culture?

Ron Berger, in his book An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, imparts the idea that a culture of excellence is possible in an environment where there is an ethic.  Having excellence means having an ethic of being excellent�"instilling in the students’ minds that excellence is a way of life.  Making something a way of life is the only way to have a culture of that something. 

Socrates said that “the shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.”

In Socrates’ idea, only by practicing and experiencing a virtue can we strengthen and make it a part of our system and eventually live with honor in this world.

        How then can we develop a culture of integrity and excellence?

 

 

Beginning at Home

         The home is where it all begins.  At home, the family is the first foundation of a child’s character development.  This is where he or she is molded into a human being who will eventually contribute to the betterment of society.  The child’s parents have the greatest responsibility in rearing him or her into becoming what he or she should be…someone who has values, potential and responsibilities.

         Becoming a role model is one way for the parents to rear this kind of human being.  A child, especially one who is too young to comprehend things, will imitate the things he or she sees in his or her parents and the other people around him or her, beginning at home.  A child who witnesses his or her father smoking inside the house may think that it is alright to do this kind of habit because his or her father has been doing it for years.  When a child sees his or her mother throwing garbage into their neighbor’s backyard, he or she will think that it is a normal thing to do as long as no one sees it.  On the other hand, when a child sees that his or her parents are doing random acts of kindness to other people and giving their best in every little or big thing they do, the child will then understand that it is important for someone to exert his or her best effort in maintaining an unblemished reputation, producing quality outputs and having a clean conscience all the time.

         Rarely can we see a trustworthy teenager who grew up in a home where one or both parents or brothers and sisters cannot be trusted with money or any other valuables.  If the father, for instance, is someone who takes anything valuable he sees in the office and takes it home to his family, the child may grow up to be like him.  If the mother tells her child the story of her and her classmates cheating during their high school examinations and not being caught as just a joke and as a way of bragging, the child may think that it is alright to cheat as long as he or she is not caught by the teacher.  (But this may be a rare case because I think, few parents would brag to their children that they cheated just to pass their subjects.)

         I, myself, grew up in a home environment where cheating has been taboo and where the ethic of being trustworthy is always practiced.  My father once said that it is alright if we came from a poor family as long as we are all together and no one in the family ever did something to tarnish our good reputation.  He always reminds us not to take anything that is not ours even if we had no money then to buy our own things most of the time.  We all did our best to graduate with flying colors without stealing from or cheating on anybody.  And everything has a reward in the end.  Add to it a clear conscience which I think makes a human being happy despite the difficulties in his or her life. 

Continuing in the Academe

         The philosopher Quintilian once wrote, “Without the assistance of natural habits, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.”

         Sounds familiar?  Having gone through schooling days in the past and teaching my own students for several years after graduation, I learned that cheating has been a part of the academe.  No one would argue that it is still rampant in most schools eventhough there are rules against it.  I guess students still have not acquired the ethic of being honest during examinations.  They still think that it is alright to cheat sometimes especially if one wants to pass his or her subjects and as long as he or she is not caught by the teacher. 

         How then can we develop an ethic of honesty in the classroom? 

         It has to begin with the students themselves with the help and reminder of their educators.  Values education still must be incorporated in the subjects being taught.  The students must learn to obey the rules and the administrators must strictly implement the rules so that the students will see that the school is serious in its fight against corruption of the mind and illiteracy. 

         And just like at home, the teachers, administrators, and the other adults working in the academe must be role models to the students.  “To see is to believe” and “to see is to imitate”. 

         Course outlines and lesson plans must be prepared well to include values education.  For what is the use of knowing the English language, for instance, or how to write a story if the student does not learn how to apply it in reality?  He or she writes a story about a child who answers his parents back but when the student goes home, he or she does the same thing.  The ethic of respect for parents must first be instilled in his mind and in his heart.  And what is the use of knowing all the scientific names of animals and plants if the student abuses her dog at home and tramples the bushes and grasses that her parents so carefully trim and water everyday?  Even the simple picking up of pieces of paper must become a habit of the student.

         I remember when I was in college, my sister and I would walk home from the grocery store, and I would ask her to pick up the candy wrapper or the barbecue stick she would always throw in the streets after eating.  She asked why she had to pick them up and I told her, we do not need a street sweeper anymore if everybody would just pick up garbage and throw them into the trashcan.  And I have always done the same thing even to my classmates and eventually, my students and my friends.  I would always remind them never to blame the garbage collector, street sweeper or the school administrators and even the government officials for a dirty environment.  Every one is to be blamed…every person who litters is to be blamed for the state of the environment.  Now, it has become the habit of most of my friends and students to pick up garbage, throw it into the trashcan, or even keep it inside their bags until they find a garbage bin somewhere else.  A habit is difficult to break but this kind of habit need not be broken.  The teachers must start good habits of their own and instill in the students’ minds the importance of every little good habit.

         What about the so-called stealing of intellectual property? 

This happens in the academe in the form of plagiarism.  How many students have received failing marks because of copying other authors’ works and submitting them as their own?  How many teachers and even professional writers and researchers have used other authors’ ideas in writing their books and papers?  Sometimes, people do not see the logic behind this.  They think that it is alright to plagiarize works of others.  What about the so-called creativity and intellectual property of an author?  People must respect other authors and at least cite their names when their ideas are used.  This is much like the so-called movie or music piracy.

Excellence, too, is always expected of an academic institution.  It may be in the form of winning in sports competitions, or winning in interschool debates, or excelling in board examinations.  Whatever field a school chooses to support and develop more, the important thing is that the students learn from all of them and exhibit excellence all the time.  After all, an academic institution must be known for something its population does best…and not be contented in just being second best in everything.

The academe really is one of the best places to develop an ethic of integrity and excellence.  Sometimes, children will not listen to their own parents, but may listen to their teachers.  The academe is one institution to instill in the minds of children and adults alike what it means to have integrity and what it means to excel in something, not only for their own good, but for the good of the institution, and eventually, the outside world.

Values in the Workplace

        “The integrity of [people] is to be measured by their conduct, not by their professions.”

         How right the philosopher Junius is!  Integrity is something which embraces all the “color of collars”�"may it be blue or white.  It is something which does not choose even among races, cultures or religions. 

         I smile every time I remember the advertisement on television about a member of the maintenance personnel returning a bag of valuables to the receptionist as it does not belong to him.  News reports in the past also talked about poor people returning to the owner something they found either in their workplace or in places they came across to.  How noble of them to do such thing even in the midst of their financial difficulties!  That is what I call integrity in practice.  How great the world would be if every one else would be like those people.

         Employees of private and public sectors have a big role to play in the development of the culture of integrity and excellence.  Using the “bundy clock” or computer for “timing in” for work properly is not something to be ignored.  How many employees, especially of the public offices, when the “bundy clock” was still not in use, have cheated in their “time-in” for work just to have an outstanding performance rating?  Even with the use of that clock, some still would cheat by asking others to use it for them when they are already late for work.  What the heck if one gets tardy marks sometimes?  At least, he or she never cheated.  And at least, he or she does his or her best to go to work early.  Because as simple as that thing is, it is still integrity at work.  And doing one’s best not to be late for work is exhibiting excellence already.

         How about the employees who close offices minutes before break time or minutes before dismissal time?  As simple as that thing is, too, they have a duty to serve their clients on time and accomplish their assigned tasks on time.  Procrastination is never to be practiced in a company.

         I remember when I went to one government office at 11:45 in the morning.  It was still 15 minutes before lunch break but the employees were already having their break!  Imagine them asking me to return at 1:30 in the afternoon!  It was an insane thing to do.  I told one employee there that I am a government employee, too, and I had to deliver something to them and I could not afford to go back after their lunch break.  Luckily, one employee had the sense to receive my package.  Maybe, she felt afraid that I would tell it to their superior.  Talk about model employees!

         Sometimes, I would wonder how these employees get satisfactory performance ratings, or even   outstanding ratings, when all they do is comb their hair, use the phone or go to the restroom and wait for lunchbreaks and closing hours.  The company is wasting money on them.

         I am not talking of every one, of course.  There are still a lot of employees who do their jobs seriously.  Administrators must then see to it that these people get rewarded or recognized for their efforts.  My teacher once said that rewards are better than punishments.  Everybody must not be contented with ordinary results.  There must be the best results always. 

        Government officials also have their part to play.  They are always being blamed for the economic condition and moral deterioration of society.  Again, I would emphasize the importance of being role models to the people.  How could the people believe in the integrity of the government if they could see and hear that the reason for the government’s nearly empty coffers could be traced back to the officials?  How could the people believe in them if every time the television is switched on or the newspaper opened, news of election cheating and corruption are seen?  How could the people believe they are safe with the police or military when they witness the authorities who are supposed to protect them are the ones committing crimes?  How could employees deliver quality service to rich and poor people alike if bribery is rampant in some companies, even in the government sectors?  Money becomes the power which drives the employees to choose who they will serve first.

         And how would any one believe in any body when every time someone is apprehended or questioned for such obvious crimes, he or she defends it to his or her death? 

         Kahlil Gibran once said that it is “strange that we all defend our wrongs with more vigor than we do our rights”.[3]  How then could we believe in any body anymore?

         So many people already think that government officials and authorities only want more wealth, power and fame when they run for office.  Sometimes, I would think the same thing.  For who wants to suffer from fatigue and stress worrying about the problems of the country?  I sometimes would think that anybody who runs for office just wants to become richer.  How happy I would be if I could meet a lot of officials who are truly dedicated in serving the people and not their own ambitions.  The government must do something to change the people’s impression of them.  By doing something right all the time, the people will notice eventually.

Living Values Everyday of our Lives

        “Where you are is of no moment, but only what you are doing there.  It is not the place that ennobles you, but you the place; and this only by doing that which is great and noble.”

         Plutarch, although he lived a very long time ago, has captured the essence of having values in this short quotation. For him, it is not the place but the action of a person which makes him or her great and noble. 

         Building an ethic of integrity and excellence begins in one’s own self.  With the help of his or her environment, beginning at home and the academe, it is developed to become a culture. It becomes an everyday habit.  The church and media are also powerful instruments in developing this culture.  These two sectors are a big influence in a person’s decision-making.  Being role models would also greatly help in the development of a culture of values worthy of recognition. And the best time to start is NOW.  It is never too late to begin.

 

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[1] These quotations and  most of the other quotations in this essay were cited in Dennis Helming’s “The Examined Life: The Art of Knowing, Owning, and Giving Yourself”, USA: Spence Publishing Company, 1997.

[2] Rodney Nillsen, “The concept and creation of academic integrity”, 2004.

[3] From Kahlil Gibran’s “Sand and Foam”, a collection of his aphorisms, poems and parables, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2000.

 

(This essay has also appeared  in “Tugatog”, weekly bulletin of the Rotary Club of Metro-SFDM, 2010)