"A value is really my value when the value of the
value is very valuable to me".
Swami Dayananda
This is a statement that holds a great truth that is so often missed
completely by most everyone in society today. So much suffering is caused by the
lack of its assimilation into alert daily living by reacting to life's
situations instead responding consciously.
What is a universal value?
A universal value is something that all human beings innately know, desire
and expect from others. We all have this given sense called "common sense".
To live up to my humanity I must pay attention to this sense. If I don't follow
it and thus "choose to compromise it" I will definitely have conflict
and conflict means lack of emotional peace. This makes me sorrowful and thus I
have created the very thing I strive to be free from.
What makes a universal value and how is it valuable to
me?
I don't want to be hurt by anyone in any way, not by word or action and I
expect others not to hurt me also. All human beings have the same given
conscience; they do not want to be hurt in any way. Therefore we call this value
of non-injury a universal value. Because I can go against this value, it shows
that I have a choice and this is what we call "free will". If I could
not go against this value then I would be programmed like an animal and then I
would not have "free will" at all. But I have free will "I can
do, I need not do or I can do differently". As a human being I must
emphasize this faculty of choice to the maximum in my transactions with others.
Also take note that I am responsible for my words and actions and the results
will come back to me as by law. The doer will definitely
be the enjoyer. That I can go against my conscience, then makes it
paramount that I am conscious of this conscience and the consequences of going
against it! Knowing the consequences of going against conscience (viz. pain and
suffering), will I not alertly pay attention to it and make the intelligent
decision to honor it and say and do things in consonance with it? We would think
so, but this is not always the case for I haven't really understood how valuable
this value really is to me.
What are the Consequences for not paying attention to
and following our conscience?
What will happen if I go against this value and hurt some person or being?
What I do to others I do to myself. The immediate result is that I am hurt, I
have a conflict, which we call guilt, which means mental-emotional disturbance,
which means sorrow. I have lost my peace. I am not together as a whole person.
Can I afford to loose my peace? What did I desire so badly that I went against
this universal value? I want an object not for the object's sake but for my
sake, and I want the object, somehow thinking that it will make me happy. Now if
I go against a universal value like non-injury or not lying, what will happen? I
will become a conflict and the whole person who must be there behind the senses
available to enjoy the sense objects is disturbed and unavailable. Therefore the
whole purpose of gaining the object (viz. pleasure-happiness) is lost! This is a
bad bargain.
I know what is appropriate but I can't follow it. I know what is
inappropriate but I can't stop myself from saying and doing it! It seems even
though I know that I don't want to be hurt or cheated, etc. in any way, still
helplessly, I say and do things that cause me conflicts, guilt and sorrow. Some
pressure inside compels me to act. Only after reacting helplessly, I realize my
mistake and I feel guilty, vowing never to do it again. Then I find that I
helplessly do the same thing again!
It seems like an endless viscous circle. How can I end
it?
The value is not really an assimilated value and therefore it is not really
my value, for I haven't seen intimately how valuable the value really is to me.
When I was a child, values were not unfolded to me, but more often than not they
were mandated in the form of "should's and must's", like thou shalt
not do this and that etc., but nothing in this relative creation is absolutely
black or white, this way or that. All is relative in a sacred gray area... and
thus, rigid mandates never help me assimilate the value of a value, but just
create differing degrees of actual ideal splits and denial. It's just the right
psychological set up for the "guilt-confession-blame it on someone outside"
syndrome.
Pray tell how do I break these chains?
I need to analyze thoroughly what I gain when I follow a universal value
like telling the truth and what I loose when I do not follow it. If my value for
telling the truth is not completely assimilated, then I will inevitably
compromise. The compromise takes place when I have a choice and what I want is
a value much more assimilated than the value of telling the truth. And then, of
course, I suffer the consequential conflict. I have to see clearly that the
compromise is a bad bargain.
I have an assimilated value for money and what it can buy me, i.e. relative
securities and comforts, objects to enjoy. Society, the prevalent culture and
the media make this value a thoroughly assimilated one. What I haven't
assimilated is the value of truth, for it was never unfolded to me clearly, what
I would gain by following it and loose by going against it. I was only given
mandates, "tell the truth! Don't tell lies!" This was constantly
ground in repeatedly when growing up, but did it ever help? Now, when I have an
opportunity to sell my house for twice the market value and all I have to do is
tell a lie and I will have a million pounds, then what will I do? Of course, I
will go for the million pounds, for I know clearly what it will get me, a
swimming pool, a new Mercedes Benz etc. Once I have these things I find that I
cannot even enjoy them, for I feel guilty going against the universal value. I
would never want anyone to cheat me out of a million pounds and what have I done
,cheated someone out of a million pounds, and thus I am a conflict and my mind
is not even available to enjoy the comforts that the million bought me! What did
I want through the million pounds? I wanted Happiness. What did I loose by
gaining the million pounds through cheating? My happiness! This is a very bad
bargain.
Therefore, I have to look into the value of all universal values. I really
need to cognize clearly, what I gain by following them and what I loose by going
against them. This understanding will be so strong that I cannot make a
compromise in word or act even though the thought may come up. This practice is
part of alert daily living, seeking cognitive change and thus ones attitudes and
value structures change. This is living philosophy. This is what "Education
For Living" is about. Using my will to make changes in myself, that I can
and need to change, in order to grow to be a complete person.
"A value, universal or situational, is a value for
me only when I see the value of the value as valuable to me!"
Swami Dayananda
Now, during this day, when I react to a given person or situation... for I
will react, I have a tool to look into what values I have not assimilated which
caused this reaction and therefore I will educate myself in the "value of
the value." |
