Imagine this... what if in fact there was something or someone that saw everything that you ever did. An all knowing big brother type camera watching you at all times. No this is not god or any such entity, but merely a way that everyone on earth – family, friends, colleagues, strangers, and so on – could see every move you make and hear everything you say. Would you live your life differently? If you want to be considered as an honest person, you would have to be thinking that everything you do and say would be known and the judgment of you would not be as per the information that you chose to tell each individual person, but as per everything you said to each individual person and everything you did. Obviously, some people might cry civil liberties and government intervention, but that is not what I'm talking about – no CCTV cameras everywhere. I am talking about living one's life to a certain standard. If you are an environmentalist, and were being judged by your peers on every action, would you use the paper towels in the washroom if they could see you? If you thought you were an integrity type and you knew everyone would see the truth of the white lie, would you tell it? If you were a politician and all of your constituents could see you in the back room, would you still make that deal?
I believe that we have to hold ourselves to a higher ideal. It becomes easy in life to bend our rules and principles in an effort to navigate through our lives. Yes, it is easier to use the dryer than hang up your clothes, but what about the energy usage? Yes, it is easier to drive than take public transport sometimes, but is it worth it? Does it fit unhypocritically into your value system? Maybe I should take the stairs instead of the elevator two flights... Obviously, some people just don't give a damn about these things, but the concept here worth getting across is that if we all lived our lives thinking that with every move, our peers – and in turn our own self worth – would be able to pass judgment on our adherence to our own principles and values; would we still compromise them? This is a good way to work on one's self. Would I do this if my friends were watching? My family? My colleague? The 'hot chick' at the coffee shop? The beautiful man you always see on bus?
Live your life to a higher standard. Yours.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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This is an interesting approach but the possible down side of it is the potential to become so anal and anxious over your"values" that you can not see the forest for the trees. It is most important to first live your life and then to live your life based on your strongest values. (In other words make yourself so crazy that you can't live in this world.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you when two values conflict: environmental vs. health concerns? Or the debate about what the bathroom hand drying costs to run(what fires the power plant) vs. the paper towels. And who decides and can we decide.
What is most important about living our values is to pass those values on to those around us (multiplier). This means that you have to be around other people and they have to want to be around you - and that you can't be seen as too judgmental or arrogant about your values or values in general.