In May, I attended the local Red Cross's Taste of the Valley fund-raising dinner, during which a 50-50 raffle was conducted. A young waiter won the $300 cash prize but immediately returned the money to the Red Cross with the comment, you need this more than I do. After a standing ovation, several people commented about his values of charity and giving. I heard one person say, that boy has some good values, and this got me to wondering if we ever stop to examine just what this kind of statement really means.What are values?
There is no one correct definition, but the one I like best is found in www.ethicsscoreboard.com_definition and defines values as "those qualities of behavior, thought, and character that society regards as being intrinsically good, having desirable results, and worthy of emulation by others." Arguably, the following might fit this definition: honesty, courage, loyalty, justice, independence, hard work, self reliance, honor, Semper Fi, dignity, doing the right thing, moral integrity, nonviolence, faith, tradition, quality, customer service, excellence, charity, thrift, openness, candor, empathy, self accountability, diversity, chivalry and activism, to cite just some. Many of these values interact with on another; for example, nonviolent activism to achieve social justice is, I submit, a courageous and noble endeavor, and I know for certain that down South, chivalry is an honorable and enduring tradition worthy of emulation.
Speaking of the South and on a more personal level, I took time off in the early sixties to go to Mississippi with other graduate students and faculty members from Loyola University of Chicago to help register minority voters in a number of hamlets. It was extremely dangerous but fulfilling work and I believe what drove us were strong faith-based values linked to social justice and equally strong core values associated with courage and doing the right thing. During this volatile period of racial unrest, values were played out in different ways by different people. Previously, of course, Gandhi's value of nonviolence and his passion for independence began a drive for freedom that doomed colonialism in India and provided a value later emulated in both the United States and South Africa. The Rev. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks displayed two values that were inspiring: nonviolence and courage. Later during this volatile period, Sen. John McCain demonstrated the values of duty, loyalty, honor and courage as a POW in Hanoi.
Many corporations pride themselves on a published set of values and some (Levi Strauss) even call themselves value-based companies. Digital Equipment, before it was acquired by Compaq Computer, was perhaps the classic example with its employees striving to emulate its founder, Ken Olsen, by always trying to do the right thing in any given situation. Nordstrom's is famous for its value of customer service. Hewlett Packard is famous for its employee-oriented "HP Way." Enron, before its collapse, was noted for its value of fostering an "entrepreneurial culture" which unfortunately evolved to something else. Toyota is known for its value of quality. But value-based companies are the exception and few walk the talk. Indeed, a company may lay off thousands of workers, but the way it carries out the downsizing reflects how the value of doing the right thing plays out. Some companies give minimal notice and little severance pay; others help provide a financial bridge to other employment by offering a competitive severance and outplacement package. Some companies load their boards with friendly faces; others strive for independence on their boards and transparency.
In and of themselves, values are pretty meaningless unless they are played out by behavior. Politician often proclaim the value of courage and then quickly waffle on an issue. The measure of leaders is often marked by their value-based behavior. Anwar Sadat of Egypt demonstrated the ultimate value of courage when he reached out in peace to Israel knowing full well it would likely cost him his life. When Malcolm X broke from the mainstream Black Muslims, he too assumed tremendous risks based on a religious epiphany and based on his core values to do the right thing. The Rev. Billy Graham personifies his faith-based values in every facet of his life, and who can doubt the motives of Jimmy Carter as he continues to work for peace.
In this area, you need to practice what you preach. Jimmy Carter and Billy Graham are all about honesty and decency, but so are their actions. As the world's most famous prisoner and, now, his country's leader, Nelson Mandela exemplifies a moral integrity that shines beyond South Africa, but remember, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with Frederik Willem de Klerk, the white Prime Minister of South Africa, who himself demonstrated unusual courage by reaching out. Egypt's Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. Sadat was one of the world's most admired leaders for his foresight, leadership and courage in the wake of the Camp David accords negotiated with Begin under Jimmy Carter's auspices. However, the agreement was not universally popular, particularly among Islamic fundamentalists, and Sadat was later assassinated.
More often than not, it takes what I term a courageous crossover to really mark the great achievements. Who can argue that Gorbechev played almost as important a role as Pope John Paul II and Lech Walesa of Poland in bringing down communism? Sadat had his Begin; Mandela had de klerk; Ronald Reagan had Gorbechev. In fighting for the dignity of the destitute, Mother Teresa gave the world a moral example that bridged divides of culture, class and religion. Although Yasser Arafat shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin of Israel in 1994, had he "crossed over" and reached out as Sadat had done, he perhaps could have achieved the same greatness.
Getting back to that young waiter at the Red Jacket, he indeed demonstrated some "good values," and I suspect he learned them from his parents or a teacher or maybe his boss. So the next time you hear someone talk about values, keep in mind there may be a whole lot more to it than meets the eye. The next time you see a Sun columnist or reporter, community activist or local politician, take an particular stand in the face of criticism and/or at the risk of political disfavor, watch for his or her values to play out. And, from time to time, a little self-reflection and inventory could be a useful endeavor. Ask yourself: what are my core values? Are they worthy of emulation? Are they admirable qualities?
Ted Sares, PhD, is a private investor who lives and writes in the White Mountain area of Northern New Hampshire with his wife Holly and Min Pin Jackdog. He writes a weekly column for a local newspaper and many of his other pieces are widely published.
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