Live your values

I signed in today to see if I should just close down my blog. It's been one of those weeks where everything seems pointless. As far as I can tell, I have done no major memorable thing. Thankfully nothing bad, but sadly nothing good either. It reinforces a deeply held belief of mine - life is meaningful only when you do something for others. But this week's rut of work, work and work (at home and school) has not given me time for anything else. One thing is certain - this is no way to live. But then, busy or not, should not I be able to live my values if I value them enough? Should not our morality compass be strong enough?

It is difficult to carve a life for ourselves according to the dictates of our core values. With increasing demands of simply living, we tend to discard those little, very important things that make life worth living. I believe a successful life is one where we have been able to incorporate our values into everyday living.

We care so much for where we live. We find places which fit into our way of life, or at least a place where we can fit in the existing way of life. I do not mean just the geographical location, but also how we situate our beliefs and values vis-a -vis our environment.

I believe it is easy to hold onto your values when your surroundings match them. It requires no great strength of character to be, say, Islamic in your bearing when you study in an Islamic school, and all your friends adhere to the same belief. And its even easier if you shun all that to not conform to that set. (That is not Islamic, or logical, or natural - and also, that is another topic.) But the ease of living your beliefs does not contribute to its strength, or to the required emotional maturity to hold onto them. My daughter was told by a friend that she is missing the fun of getting drunk. It is a statement of her maturity that the friendship continues undamaged even though she decided not to try the "fun". (I would have been sorely tempted!!) How can we equalize the depth of these values with those of someone who has not faced an opposing, easier and more "fun" way of life?

Real emotional maturity becomes evident only when we live in an environment that is not familiar, and may even be slightly hostile to our set of core values. The depth of our values and the strength of our principles is demonstrated when we hold onto them because we believe in them, even though it may not exactly be convenient or 'cool'.

And when our values become that much a part of ourselves, then we can try and carve a life that will facilitate living those values too.