Blaming The Values

We blame values for judgment. We use the word values as a reminder for our judgments. We determine our values as right, we cast them onto our children, and we look down on those who do not meet our definition of those standards. How interesting that we use family values as a political platform. We called it family values and the world responded with votes, even though no one ever defined what those values really were. What are your family’s values? Chances are there are plenty of judgments in them.

What is the point of creating family values when we aren’t even able to recognize what they really are or how to use them? One group offers up a value, or judgment and everyone who agrees with them is suddenly on board with their value system. Another person disagrees and holds up a different notion and we have another value system developing. Why is it so important for one value to be right over another? Why are people not permitted to develop their own values and be left alone for at least having them rather than having different ones and being hounded about them? When did the word values mean to exclude people who live differently from you?

When we teach our children values we teach them what we believe is right. How often do we teach them the rightness of someone else’s values for their own family? How often do we allow a different value system to challenge our own and allow our children to choose for themselves without argument? Perhaps it is time that we all define what a family value is before we elect politicians who use the catch phrase.