Values

Values are principles that allow people to guide their behavior to fulfill them as individuals. They are fundamental beliefs that help people make ethical decisions or display ethical behavior and are a source of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Values provide a guideline to formulate goals and objectives and reflect interests, feelings and convictions of an individual. Values refer to human needs and represent ideals, dreams and aspirations. Their importance is independent of the circumstances. Values translate into thoughts, concepts or ideas, but the most important of the lot is behavior. Values also constitute the foundations for co-existence of a community and relations with others. They regulate our behavior to the benefit of collective wellbeing.

In an organization, values serve as a framework for the behavior of its members. These values are based on the nature of the organization and its projection into the future. To this end, they must encourage the attitudes and actions required to achieve the organization’s objectives.

The way values are defined in an organization can also be used to put them into practice. If they’re only words and generic concepts, they’re much less useful in practice than when they’re defined in terms of attitudes, b ehaviors and specific actions.

The organizations that benefit the most from applying values as a managerial tool translate them into codes of conduct, with precise indications regarding the attitudes and actions that favor the culture of the organization or community according to its interests.

Values serve as a practical guide for the decisions people make every day at work and help them identify what to do in each situation. Otherwise, the internal credibility of the organization, its leadership and its culture weaken, giving rise to a crisis of values.

Leaders at all levels and areas of the organization are responsible for defining values. Heads of organizations, bosses, supervisors or coordinators, must be aware that everything they do or not do communicates the values of the organization to the rest of the team. The other members of the organization are responsible for knowing the values of that community.

What are values for?

Values are the guide of behavior; they are part of one’s identity as individuals, and guide their behaviors at home, at work, or any other area of our life. They show one how to behave and how not to behave when faced with desires or impulses, whether alone or with others. They are like a compass that helps us behave consistently, regardless of the situation.

When are values useful in organizations?

Values play an important role in the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations:

• When they have the same meaning for all members of the organization.• When they are shared and are equally important for all.• When they are put into practice at all levels, particularly by leaders.• When they are remembered every day. Values in organizations help their members:• Relate and function better, be better coordinated and better prepared in their planning, and achieve their goals efficiently.• Be more aware of their direction and of the organization’s short, medium and long term goals.• Be collectively more creative and effective in meeting their challenges and fulfilling their tactical or strategic needs, both specific and general.Consequently, the members of an organization with shared values:• Feel more fulfilled as individuals and appreciate more their own behaviors.Feel very satisfied being part of that community, and feel more identified and committed to the purposes of the organization.• Perform better, fulfill their specific responsibilities, and meet their professional commitments.• Make more individual contributions and are more creative, because through their actio ns they feel more fulfilled and satisfied as individuals.

An organization’s values are the pillars of its culture which facilitates and assures the integration and growth of its members. So, it is very beneficial for any organization to invest time and effort in fostering a culture based on shared values that are expressed through the everyday behavior of its members.

Why are values weakened?

There are many reasons, but three that cause a sort of vicious circle in the deterioration of values are:

1. Needs can be more pressing than values

Values themselves don’t deteriorate, what weakens is capacity of people to believe in certain principles and their relevance, as a result of the pressure that certain needs exert on them. For example, when we decide we’re not going to stand in line like everybody else it’s because we consider that our individual needs are more important than those of others.

2. It is much easier to convey other values

The real impact of values in an organization is reflected in the actions and attitudes of its members. It’s behavior that translates values into our daily activities. For example, imagine a parent teaching her child the importance of truth or responsibility. A moment later, the child tells the parent that a debt collector has just called on the phone, and the parent casually says: “Tell him I’m not home.”

3. There is great social pressure in favor of “anti-values”

In a society that over-stimulates consumption, citizens end up being valued more for what they have than for what they are as individuals. As a result, appearance, or power often become higher values than responsibility.

Using values

Although values are defined at an early age, and everyone attributes particular significance to specific values, how to put them into practice is a personal decision. People decide what attitude and what behavior they will assume in relationship to individuals, opportunities, difficulties or responsibilities, with varying levels of awareness. When people want to establish a good relationship with other people, or want to be part of an organization, they decide to accept the values required for that relationship. Types of values

Ever since human beings have lived in community, they have had to establish principles to guide their behavior towards others, in this sense, honesty, responsibility, truth, solidarity, cooperation, tolerance, respect and peace, among others, are considered universal values. However, in order to understand them better, it is useful to classify values according to the following criteria:

• Personal values:

These are considered essential principles on which people build their life and guide them to relate with other people. They are usually a blend of family values and social-cultural values, together with people’s own values, according to their experiences.

• Family values:

These are valued in a family and are considered either good or bad. These derive from the fundamental beliefs of the parents, who use them to educate their children. They are the basic principles and guidelines of initial behavior in society, and are conveyed through one’s behaviors in the family, from the simplest to the most complex.

• Social-cultural values:

These are the prevailing values of our society, which change with time, and either coincide or not with family or personal values. They constitute a complex mix of different values, and at times they contradict one another, or pose a dilemma.

• Material values:

These values allow an individual to survive, and are related to his/her basic needs as human beings, such as food and clothing and protection from the environment. They are fundamental needs, part of the complex web that is created between personal, family and social-cultural values. If exaggerated, material values can be in contradiction with spiritual values.

• Spiritual values:

They refer to the importance people give to non-material aspects in our lives. They are part of our human needs and allow people to feel fulfilled. They add meaning and foundation to life.

• Moral values:

The attitude and behavior that a society considers essential for coexistence, order, and general wellbeing are moral values.

The Formation of Values

We start forming values in our childhood. First we learn to appreciate things that fulfill our basic needs, but we value especially those people that provide them to us. Their behavior towards us becomes the main reference of what is valuable. Thus, our character and personality are molded through the attitudes and behavior of the people who raise us, whether they’re our parents or other relatives. Their behaviors determine in large part what will subsequently become our most important beliefs and principles.

We learn to value the substance and the form of everything they say and do, and what they don’t say and don’t do. Each gesture or comment affects how we learn to make choices. We also learn to differentiate between the theory and practice of values. The consistency and coherence of our parents’ behavior is what strengthens our formation. If they practice what they preach, our personality will be stronger than if they don’t.

Later, when we are students, we start feeling social pressures and the pressure of values that are different from ours, as we relate to other people. The strength of the values formed through our parents is put to the test.

Values are often confused with habits, and many parents hope that school will form the values that were not instilled at home. This is not possible, because school does not fulfill the basic needs of life, that is the responsibility of those who raise us.

Teachers, leaders, and value models at school can reinforce what was formed at home, but they cannot replace them. If the convictions formed at home are not solid, they will soon be exposed to an intense social competition against other beliefs.

It very difficult to form values because, unlike norms, values are convictions; they are behaviors we gladly decide to follow and produce satisfaction. We can follow norms against our will, but values have the support of our will. We have learned their importance due to the benefits they produce, individually and collectively. Those who play a leadership role in our lives are most powerful at conveying to us their values. They are our parents, elder siblings, grandparents, some relatives, teachers, peers we admire, professors, and bosses. However, to convey something, we must first possess it. Values are only conveyed through the example of our daily attitudes and behaviors. They can seldom be formed by explaining them or through a list of what is considered correct or incorrect. Memorizing their theoretical meaning does not guarantee their implementation.

Pedro FloresFlores Yo-yo (Circ. 1928-1929)Pedro Flores is widely considered as the first yo-yo maker in the US and with his Flores yo-yo created the start of an international craze.

Pedro Flores was born Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Philippines and came to the United States in 1915. He attended the High School of Commerce in San Francisco 1919-1920 and subsequently studied law at University of California, Berkeley and the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. Flores dropped out of school and moved to Santa Barbara, California where he worked at odd-jobs to make a living.While working as a bellboy, Flores read an article about a self-made millionaire who made his money by selling a ball attached to a rubber band. At this point he remembered the yo-yo (previously known as the bandalore), a game which has been played for hundreds of years in the Philippines. Bringing it all together, Flores saw a good market opportunity in the US, and the ability to go into business for himself.Flores Yo-yosBetween 1928 and 1932, Flores started and ran the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara before selling the company and trademark to Duncan who continued to market and sell Flores yo-yos alongside the Duncan line.Pedro Flores is most-often described as the inventor of the yo-yo, but he never personally claimed to have invented the yo-yo, always mentioning its past history as a centuries old Philippine game. In addition he is also referred to as the original patent holder of the yo-yo, however yo-yos (Bandalores) had already been patented prior to the company's existence.Flores stayed involved with yo-yos most of his life. He founded a yo-yo manufacturing company in Santa Barbara, California in 1928, founded the Flores Corporation in Hollywood and cofounded Flores and Stone in Los Angeles c. 1929. In the 1930s, he promoted yo-yo contests along with

Duncan. He cofounded the Chico yo-yo company in 1950 and founded the Flores Corporation of America in 1954.DuncanBetween 1930 and 1932, Flores sold his interest in his yo-yo manufacturing companies for greater than $250,000, to Donald F. Duncan, Sr., which during the depression of the 1930s was a fortune. On this transaction Flores was quoted saying "I am more interested in teaching children to use the yo-yos than I am in manufacturing of yo-yos." Taking his own words to heart, he became one of the key promoters in Duncan's early yo-yo campaigns. During 1931-1932, Flores was instrumental in setting up a large number of the promotions in the cities where the early Duncan contests were being held. In relation to his contests run just 2 years earlier with his Yo-yo Manufacturing Company, the new Duncan contests were vastly different. These contests now required a series of tricks similar to modern day contests with ties being broken by the number of loop the loops completed.

DR. MARIANO G. YOGORE, JR.

Dr. Mariano G. Yogore, Jr. (December 29, 1921, Iloilo City, Philippines – June 1, 2006) was a Filipino microbiologist. He was educated at University of the Philippines, MD, 1945; Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, MPH, 1948, DrPH, 1957; Philippine Bd Prev Med & Pub Health, diploma, 1956.

Dr. Mariano G. Yogore, Jr. was a research associate and professor of parasitology at the University of Chicago, 1969–1986; research associate and associate professor at the University of Chicago, 1967–1969; USPHS research fellow, Department Microbiology at the University of Chicago, 1959–1961; member of

the National Research Council of the Philippines, 1957–1973; From instructor to professor of parasitology, University of the Philippines, Baguio, 1945–1967.

He was a member of several honor societies and professional organizations, and listed as Philippine Man of Science (1964) and American Men and Women of Science No. 1218.

He was senior author and co-author in about 50 scientific publications, and published a number of books. Published in Library of Congress

A Wonderful Story of Friendship & Values……

A story tells that two friends were walkingthrough the desert. During some

point of the journey they had an argument, andone friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt,

but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:TODAY MY BEST FRIEND

SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.They kept on walking until they found an oasis,

where they decided to take a bath. The one whohad been slapped got stuck in the mire andstarted drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near

drowning, he wrote on a stone:TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped andsaved his best friend asked him,

“After I hurt you, you wrote in thesand and now, you write on a stone,

why?” The other friend replied “When someonehurts us we should write it down in sand where windsof forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone

does something good for us, we must engrave

it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SANDAND T O CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person,an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them,but then an entire life to forget them.

Send this phrase to the people you’ll neverforget. It’s a short message to let them

know that you’ll never forget them.- MORAL –

Inspirational story on value of time

One person worked long and hard to save a big fortune. And he decided to rest from the work and to live in luxury for his pleasure, which he could afford because of his wealth. Just when he made his decision, an angel of death came to him. Being a very good sales person, he decided to buy some more time from the angel of death at any cost. He bargained for a long time but the angel was unmoved.Desperate, the rich man made the last proposal to the angel:- Give me just one hour of my life, so that I could admire the beauty of this earth for the last time and spend some time with family and friends whom I haven’t seen for a long time, and I will give you all of my wealth. But the angel refused again.Finally, the man asked if the angel could give him at least one minute so that he could write a goodbye note. His wish was granted and he wrote that note. This is the note:"Spend your time, which is given to you to live, right. I couldn’t buy even an hour of life with all of my wealth. Listen to your heart and check if the things surrounding you have a true value. Value every minute of your life."

Inspirational story about character

A long time ago there was a boy. He was smart, talented and handsome. However, he was very selfish and his temper was so difficult, that nobody wanted to be friends with him. Often he got angry and said various hurtful things to people around him.

The boy‘s parents very concerned about his bad temper. They considered what they could do and one day the father had an idea. He called his son and gave him a hammer and a bag of nails. The father said: „Every time you get angry, take a nail and drive into that old fence as hard as you can.“

The fence was very tough and the hammer was heavy, nevertheless the boy was so furious that during the very first day he has driven 37 nails.

Day after day, week after week, the number of nails was gradually decreasing. After some time, the boy started to understand that holding his temper is easier that driving nails into the fence.

One day the boy didn‘t need hammer and nails anymore as he learned to hold his temper perfectly. So he came to his father and told about his achievement. „Now every time, when you hold your temper all day long, pull out one nail“.

Much time has passed. At last the boy could be proud of himself as all the nails were gone. When he came to his father and told about this, he offered to come and take a careful look at the fence. „You did a good job, my son, though pay your attention to the holes that left from the nails. The fence will never be the same. The same happens when your say hurtful things to people, as your words leave scars in their hearts like those holes in the fence. Remember, we need to treat everyone with love and respect, because it doesn‘t matter, that you say you are sorry, the scars will not dissapear.

The Parable of the Lost CoinThe parable of the lost coin clearly indicates God’s true attitude towards sinners.

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:8-10).

In the illustration, the sinner is likened to a valuable coin which has been lost. The woman does not take a lax attitude towards her lost possession. No. First she lights a lamp, necessarily expending oil, so that she can see clearly. Next, instead of simply glancing here and there, she uses a broom or some utensil to sweep her house so that she can reach places that might otherwise be inaccessible to her. Above all, she searches carefully. There is no hint of indifference, only diligence. This coin was valuable; she must find it at all costs.

Jesus wanted the religious leaders to understand how he felt about those who were lost. When we are lost sinners, we are not just “out there” somewhere away from God. God longed for us so much that He took the ultimate action; He offered up His Son as a sacrificial lamb. This He did to cleanse the sinner from sin and restore him to Himself.

He would go through any means, any expense to bring them to Himself.

The parable of the lost coin indicates the mission of the Son. Jesus came to be the Light of the World; “The true light that gives light to every man. . .” (John 1:9). Jesus provides the light for sinners to be found of God, just as the woman needed light to search carefully for her lost coin. Each sinner is special to God; there is rejoicing in heaven over “each one” that repents. We are all individuals of great importance to the Father. The woman could have been content to possess the remaining nine coins; obviously they represented great wealth and status to her. Instead, she searched carefully, unwilling to leave to chance that her coin might never be reclaimed. And it was not sufficient for her to harbor this knowledge alone. Friends and neighbors must be told, as well to share in the celebration.

The parable of the lost coin also gives us a glimpse of that in which the Lord delights. In this parable, once the woman has found her coin, she calls her friends and neighbors in order to share the good news. When a sinner is restored to fellowship with God, it is a cause for rejoicing. This is the whole plan of salvation; this is why Christ came. This is the splendid, marvelous, most glorious act in the history of the universe. God seeks sinners and rejoices when they are found. He is not content for any sinner to be away from Him: “. . .He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The FiremanA Parable

Many, many years ago, before there were any fire engines and fire brigades and electric fire alarms, and most houses were built of wood, a fire was a terrible thing. A whole town, or a good part of it, could go up in flames and smoke. And so, when fire broke out, everyone left his business or work, and rushed to help put out the fire. There used to be a watchtower that was taller than the other buildings, where a watchman kept a lookout all the time. As soon as he saw smoke or fire, he would sound the alarm. The townspeople would then form a human chain between the fire and the nearest well, and pass on to each other pails of water with which to put out the fire.

Once it happened that a lad from a small village came to town for the first time. He stopped at an inn on the outskirts of the town.

Suddenly he heard the sound of a bugle. He asked the innkeeper what it meant.

“Whenever we have a fire,” the innkeeper explained to the lad, “we sound the bugle, and the fire is quickly put out.”

“How wonderful!” thought the village lad. “What a surprise and sensation I will bring to my village!”

Thereupon, the village lad went and bought himself a bugle. When he returned to his village, he was full of excitement. He called all the villagers together. “Listen, good people,” he exclaimed. “No need to be afraid of fire any more. Just watch me, and see how quickly I will put out a fire!”

Saying this, he ran to the nearest hut and set fire to its straw roof. The fire began to spread very quickly.

“Don’t be alarmed!” cried the lad. “Now watch me.”

The lad began to blow the bugle with all his might, interrupting it only to catch his breath, and to say, “Wait, this will put out the fire in no time!” But the fire did not seem to care much for the music, and merely hopped from one roof to another, until the entire village was in flames.

The villagers now began to scold and curse the lad. “You fool,” they cried. “Did you think that the mere blowing of the trumpet will put the fire out? It is only the call of an alarm, to wake up the people, if they are asleep, or to break them away from their business and work, and send them to the well to draw water and put out the fire!”

We are reminded of this story when we think of the shofar that is sounded many times on Rosh Hashanah. While sounding the shofar has intrinsic value as one of G-d's commandments, there is another element to the mitzvah. Some people think like that village lad, that the sound of the shofar itself will do everything for them. They think that they may continue to “sleep,” or go about their business, there being no need to change their way of life and daily conduct; the shofar sounded in the synagogue will surely bring them a happy new year.

But, like the bugle in the story, the shofar is the sound of an “alarm.” It has a message: “Wake up, you sleepers, think about your ways, return to G-d, put out the ‘fire’ that is threatening to destroy your Jewish homes. Go to the well, the well of living waters, the Torah and mitzvot. Hurry, before it is too late!”

That is why, immediately after the shofar is sounded, we exclaim: “Happy are the people who understand the meaning of the sound of the shofar; they walk in Your light, O G-d.”

The Wise Man Who Builds on Rockand the Fool Who Builds on Sand

Matthew 7:15-29Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good

fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.

Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock.

And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof.

And it came to pass when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes and Pharisees.

Luke 6:43-49

For there is no good tree that bringeth forth evil fruit; nor an evil tree that bringeth forth good fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns; nor from a bramble bush do they gather the grape. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

And why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say? Every one that cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will shew you to whom he is like. He is like to a man building a house, who digged deep, and laid the foundation upon a rock. And when a flood came, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and it could not shake it; for it was founded on a rock. But he that heareth, and doth not, is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENT-CONSCIOUSNESSToday, there is now a premium on fresh air and there even are bars in Japan where people can buy whiffs of oxygen. If we continue to play foul with the environment and interfere with the already disturbed eco- system, the day is not far off when we shall rue over the mind-boggling progress and excessive exploitation of nature to feed our follies and glorify our greed.

It is neither a fad nor a fashion to show our concern for the environment. It is a feeling for the fast deteriorating milieu, both natural and man-made, that pricks the conscience of some who take upon themselves the rigorous but moral responsibility of creating an awareness among the people, to preserve the delicate balance in the entire eco-system that has been disturbed beyond repair and recognitiion in many cases. Since the problem of environmental degradation is global, a concerted effort needs to be launched to infuse environment-consciousn among all and sundry before it gets too late to mend the matters.In its mad race to make miracles and bring about a complete metamorphosis in the living styles, modern human kind seems to have failed to appreciate the inherent worth of animal and plant life in totality. In ancient times nature held our respect, perhaps due to religious or supernatural associations. Now that we have a scientific grasp of nature, we have lost sight of its wider aesthetic, spiritual and complementary value. With the onslaught of industrialisation, nature has been through a rapid exploitation leading to pollution and depletion of its resources. The destructive trend can be slowed down, if not completely reversed, if collective care and concern for environment-consciousness is created through different media, education, visual and performing arts.Science and technology, glitter and glamour, speed and success these are some of the telling traits of human condition today, at the cost of degraded eco-system, near extinction of some forms of life, global warming, and the like. In order to feel secure, without having a clear conscience of the environment, is like walking waywardly on a land mine. The impression that conservation of the environment is an elitist concern of some individuals and groups, should be dispelled through every possible means.Nature rather environment or ecology in all its moods and manifestations represents harmony and deep power of joy that can enable us to into the life of thin nd thus escape from the sinister sway and swing of materialistic mores that have made most of us strangers and aliens to the life sustaining forces on this planet. The urgency to take stock of the current status of biodiversity is the crying need of the hour. It is because of lack of awareness on our part, of the many species of flora and fauna, that they are being lost by u unknowingly How to bring such facts close to the consciousness of the people should be the foremost task of all those who have the good of the earth in their hearts.No how we manipulate the achievements of science and technology, the moot question would always stare us in the face. If we fail to create constructive consciousn towards environment, in our work culture, developmental activities will end in allied areas of action and inter-action. We shall be heading for an impending catastrophe that a highly polluted environment is going to unleash on one and all.

Our ancestors were more environment-conscious and conscientious that us. Their common needs did not go beyond fuel collection, flower plucking, fruit gathering and the like. They did not indulge in wanton destruction of forests nor did they resort to hunting and poaching in an unscrupulous

manner. Unlike the plunder of today, where the governing passion is to explore and exploit the known and unknown sources of wealth, the attitude of our forefathers towards life and its mission was and let others Willy-nilly, planners, policymakers and wheeler-dealers of political power have allowed the things to drift and degenerate for long. It is time now that we should sit up and see the writing on the wall. The warning signals are ringing all round.

Title of Article: The need to Strengthen Moral ValuesWriter: PEDRO R. BARTOLAY, JR. Tutuban Elementary School San Jacinto DistrictPlace/Year of Publication: Manila, Philippines/July 2006Area: Classroom Management and Discipline

Is that your teacher has taught you? This is a very humiliating question that we often hear whenever a school child commits mistakes. As if the teacher is solely responsible for all the errors, blunders, shortcomings and wrong actions perpetrated by a pupil. While reading this article there’s a question playing on my mind. Why is it when most people talk about a school curriculum, they think about math, science, social studies, and language courses. Seldom do I hear or read about moral values as being part of the curriculum? The problem is thatthe neglect of teaching moral values in schools is aching our students and causing problems in society. If a person has never learned any moral values,how is she or he able to discern the difference between right and wrong? That is basically the essence of moral values education. The fruit of education is sometimes upsetting; as Alexander Pope had said, “Little learning is a dangerous thing”.

I learned in this article that teacher must be careful in teaching young minds because nowadays what we learned in school became disparaging as we go out to the society, instead of teaching the ignorant are misled by the intelligent individuals, instead of giving life, unborn babies are aborted by expert physicians, instead of serving the people; voters are fooled by talented people in uniform these are the sad things that we are facing right now. Good education is nothing without strong moral values.

Désirée's BabyBy Kate Chopin

AS THE DAY was pleasant, Madame Valmondé drove over to L'Abri to see Désirée and the baby.

It made her laugh to think of Désirée with a baby. Why, it seemed but yesterday that Désirée was little more than a baby herself; when Monsieur in riding through the gateway of Valmondé had found her lying asleep in the shadow of the big stone pillar.

The little one awoke in his arms and began to cry for “Dada.” That was as much as she could do or say. Some people thought she might have strayed there of her own accord, for she was of the toddling age. The

prevailing belief was that she had been purposely left by a party of Texans, whose canvas-covered wagon, late in the day, had crossed the ferry that Coton Mais kept, just below the plantation. In time Madame Valmondé abandoned every speculation but the one that Désirée had been sent to her by a beneficent Providence to be

the child of her affection, seeing that she was without child of the flesh. For the girl grew to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere,—the idol of Valmondé.

It was no wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in whose shadow she had lain asleep, eighteen years before, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot. The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known her since his father brought him home from Paris, a boy of eight, after his mother died there. The passion that awoke in him that day, when he saw her at the gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like anything that drives headlong over all obstacles.

Monsieur Valmondé grew practical and wanted things well

considered: that is, the girl's obscure origin. Armand looked into her eyes and did not care. He was reminded that she was nameless. What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?

He ordered the corbeille from Paris, and contained himself with what patience he could until it arrived; then they were married.

Madame Valmondé had not seen Désirée and the baby for four weeks. When she reached L'Abri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place, which for many years had not known the gentle presence of a mistress, old Monsieur Aubigny having married and buried his wife in France, and she having loved her own land too well ever to leave it. The roof came down steep and black like a cowl, reaching out beyond the wide galleries that encircled the yellow stuccoed house. Big, solemn oaks grew close to it, and their thick-leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall. Young Aubigny's rule was a strict one, too, and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master's

easy-going and indulgent lifetime.

The young mother was recovering slowly, and lay full length, in her soft white muslins and laces, upon a couch. The baby was beside her, upon her arm, where he had fallen asleep, at her breast. The yellow nurse woman sat beside a window fanning herself.

Madame Valmondé bent her portly figure over Désirée and kissed her, holding her an instant tenderly in her arms. Then she turned to the child.

“This is not the baby!” she exclaimed, in startled tones. French was the language spoken at Valmondé in those days.

“I knew you would be astonished,” laughed Désirée, “at the way he has grown. The little cochon de lait! Look at his legs, mamma, and his hands and fingernails,—real finger-nails. Zandrine had to cut them this morning. Isn't it true, Zandrine?”

The woman bowed her turbaned head majestically, “Mais si, Madame.”

“And the way he cries,” went on Désirée, “is deafening. Armand heard him the other day as far away as La

Blanche's cabin.”

Madame Valmondé had never removed her eyes from the child. She lifted it and walked with it over to the window that was lightest. She scanned the baby narrowly, then looked as searchingly at Zandrine, whose face was turned to gaze across the fields.

“Yes, the child has grown, has changed,” said Madame Valmondé, slowly, as she replaced it beside its mother. “What does Armand say?”

Désirée's face became suffused with a glow that was happiness itself.

“Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish, I believe, chiefly because it is a boy, to bear his name; though he says not,—that he would have loved a girl as well. But I know it isn't true. I know he says that to please me. And Mamma,” she added, drawing Madame Valmondé's head down to her, and speaking in a whisper, “he hasn't punished one of them—not one of them—since baby is born. Even Négrillon, who pretended to have burnt his leg that he might rest from work—he only laughed, and said Négrillon was a great scamp. Oh, Mamma, I'm so happy; it frightens me.”

What Désirée said was true. Marriage, and later the birth of his son

had softened Armand Aubigny's imperious and exacting nature greatly. This was what made the gentle Désirée so happy, for she loved him desperately. When he frowned, she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God. But Armand's dark, handsome face had not often been disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love with her.

When the baby was about three months old, Désirée awoke one day to the conviction that there was something in the air menacing her peace. It was at first too subtle to grasp. It had only been a disquieting suggestion; an air of mystery among the blacks; unexpected visits from far-off

neighbors who could hardly account for their coming. Then a strange, an awful change in her husband's manner, which she dared not ask him to explain. When he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out. He absented himself from home; and when there, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse. And the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves. Désirée was miserable enough to die.

She sat in her room, one hot afternoon, in her peignoir, listlessly drawing through her fingers the strands of her long, silky brown hair that hung about her shoulders. The baby, half naked, lay asleep upon her own great mahogany bed, that was like a sumptuous throne, with its satin-lined half-canopy. One of La Blanche's little quadroon boys—half naked too—stood fanning the child slowly with a fan of peacock feathers. Désirée's eyes had been fixed absently and sadly upon the baby, while she was striving to penetrate the threatening mist that she felt closing about her. She looked from her child to the boy who stood beside him, and back again; over and over. “Ah!” It was a cry that she could not help; which she was not conscious of having uttered. The

blood turned like ice in her veins, and a clammy moisture gathered upon her face.

She tried to speak to the little quadroon boy; but no sound would come, at first. When he heard his name uttered, he looked up, and his mistress was pointing to the door. He laid aside the great, soft fan, and obediently stole away, over the polished floor, on his bare tiptoes.

She stayed motionless, with gaze riveted upon her child, and her face the picture of fright.

Presently her husband entered the room, and without noticing her, went to a table and began to search among some papers which covered it.

“Armand,” she called to him, in a voice which must have stabbed him, if he was human. But he did not notice. “Armand,” she said again. Then she rose and tottered towards him. “Armand,” she panted once more, clutching his arm, “look at our child. What does it mean? Tell me.”

He coldly but gently loosened her fingers from about his arm and thrust the hand away from him. “Tell me what it means!” she cried despairingly.

“It means,” he answered lightly, “that the child is not white; it means that you are not white.”

A quick conception of all that this accusation meant for her nerved her with unwonted courage to deny it. “It is a lie; it is not true, I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair,” seizing his wrist. “Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand,” she laughed hysterically.

“As white as La Blanche's,” he returned cruelly; and went away leaving her alone with their child. When she could hold a pen in her hand, she sent a despairing letter to Madame Valmondé.

“My mother, they tell me I am not white. Armand has told me I am

not white. For God's sake tell them it is not true. You must know it is not

true. I shall die. I must die. I cannot be so unhappy, and live.”

The answer that came was brief:“My own Désirée: Come home to Valmondé; back to your mother

who loves you. Come with your child.” When the letter reached Désirée, she went with it to her husband's study, and laid it open upon the desk before

which he sat. She was like a stone image: silent, white, motionless after she placed it there. In silence he ran his cold eyes over the written words.

He said nothing. “Shall I go, Armand?” she asked in tones sharp with agonized suspense. “Yes, go.”

“Do you want me to go?” “Yes, I want you to go.”He thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him;

and felt, somehow, that he was paying Him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wife's soul. Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name.

She turned away like one stunned by a blow, and walked slowly towards the door, hoping he would call her back.

“Good-bye, Armand,” she moaned.

He did not answer her. That was his last blow at fate.

Désirée went in search of her child. Zandrine was pacing the somber gallery with it. She took the little one from the nurse's arms with no word of explanation, and descending the steps, walked away, under the live-oak branches.

It was an October afternoon; the sun was just sinking. Out in the still fields the negroes were picking cotton. Désirée had not changed the thin white garment nor the slippers which she wore. Her hair was uncovered and

the sun's rays brought a golden gleam from its brown meshes. She did not take the broad, beaten road which

led to the far-off plantation of Valmondé. She walked across a deserted field, where the stubble bruised her tender feet, so delicately shod, and tore her thin gown to shreds.

She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou;

and she did not come back again.

Some weeks later there was a curious scene enacted at L'Abri. In the center of the smoothly swept back yard was a great bonfire. Armand Aubigny sat in the wide hallway that commanded a view of the spectacle; and it was he who dealt out to a half dozen negroes the material which kept this fire ablaze.

A graceful cradle of willow, with all its dainty furbishings, was laid upon the pyre, which had already been fed with the richness of a priceless layette. Then there were silk gowns, and velvet and satin ones added to

these; laces, too, and embroideries; bonnets and gloves; for the

corbeille had been of rare quality.

The last thing to go was a tiny bundle of letters; innocent little

scribblings that Désirée had sent to him during the days of their espousal. There was the remnant of one back in the drawer from which he took them. But it was not Désirée's; it was part of an old letter from his mother to his father. He read it. She was thanking God for the blessing of her husband's love:—

“But above all,” she wrote, “night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.”

"You can't always get what you want."Don't whine and complain if you don't get what you wanted.

"Cleanliness is next to godliness."Be clean. God likes that.

"A watched pot never boils."If something takes time to finish, don't watch it too closely because it will seem like it's taking forever.

"Beggars can't be choosers."If you're asking for a favor from someone else, you have to take whatever they give you.

"Actions speak louder than words."Just saying that you'll do something doesn't mean much. Actually doing it is harder and more meaningful.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."Don't try to improve something that already works fairly well. You'll probably end up causing new problems.

"Practice makes perfect."You have to practice a skill a lot to become good at it.

"Too many cooks spoil the broth."When there are too many people trying to lead and give their opinions, it's confusing and leads to bad results. Jobs and projects should have one or two strong leaders.

"Easy come, easy go."When you get money quickly, like by winning it, it's easy to spend it or lose it quickly as well.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you."If someone's paying you or helping you out, you have to be careful not to make them angry or say bad things about them.

“I learned from him that often contradiction is the clearest way to truth” ― Patti Smith, Just Kids

“Young people are moving away from feeling guilty about sleeping with somebody to feeling guilty if they are *not* sleeping with someone.” ― Margaret Mead

“Don't let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth - don't let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.” ― Aesop

“To see evil and call it good, mocks God. Worse, it makes goodness meaningless. A word without meaning is an abomination, for when the word passes beyond understanding the very thing the word stands for passes out of the world and cannot be recalled.” ― Stephen R. Lawhead, Arthur

“Sometimes carrying the burden of an upsetting truth, and hiding it, is actually a gift you give to someone else. You bear that burden, so they don’t have to, in a situation where telling them will change nothing.” ― Cassandra Clare

“The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws. (from "Rediscovering Lost Values")” ― Martin Luther King Jr., A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

“If no set of moral ideas were truer or better than any other, there would be no sense in preferring civilised morality to savage morality.” ― C.S. Lewis

“A moral system valid for all is basically immoral.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

“The best morals kids get from any book is just the capacity to empathize with other people, to care about the characters and their feelings. So you don't have to write a preachy book to do that. You just have to make it a fun book with characters they care about, and they will become better people as a result.” ― Louis Sachar

“Survival," I said softly. "It's selfish, and it's dark, and we've always been a species willing to do anything to satisfy our needs. Individuals have morals. Mobs have appetites.” ― Rachel Caine, Total Eclipse

“If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.” ― Confucius

“Creation and destruction are the two ends of the same moment. And everything between the creation and the next destruction is the journey of life.” ― Amish Tripathi, The Oath of the Vayuputras

Moral Delimma

The Hostage Ecologists

Tom is part of a group of ecologists who live in a remote stretch of jungle. The entire group, which includes eight children, has been taken hostage by a group of paramilitary terrorists. One of the terrorists takes a liking to Tom. He informs Tom that his leader intends to kill him and the rest of the hostages the following morning.

He is willing to help Tom and the children escape, but as an act of good faith he wants Tom to torture and kill one of his fellow hostages whom he does not like. If Tom refuses his offer, all the hostages including the children and Tom will die. If he accepts his offer, then the others will die in the morning but Tom and the eight children will escape.

Should Tom torture and kill one of his fellow hostages in order to escape from the terrorists and save the lives of the eight children?

The Life Insurance Policy

Mary is in a hospital lounge waiting to visit a sick friend. A young man sitting next to Mary explains that his father is very ill. The doctors believe that he has a week to live at most. He explains further that his father has a substantial life insurance policy that expires at midnight.

If his father dies before midnight, this young man will receive a very large sum of money. He says that the money would mean a great deal to him and his family, and that no good will come from his father’s living a few more days. After talking with him Mary can tell this man is in desperate need of the money to feed his family. The man asks Mary to go up to his father’s room and smother his father with a pillow.

Should Mary kill this man’s father in order to get money for the man and his family?

The Submarine Crew

Mark is a crewperson on a marine-research submarine traveling underneath a large iceberg. An onboard explosion has damaged the ship, killed and injured several crewmembers. Additionally, it has collapsed the only access corridor between the upper and lower parts of the ship. The upper section, where Mark and most of the others are located, does not have enough oxygen remaining for all of them to survive until Mark has reached the surface. Only one remaining crewmember is located in the lower section, where there is enough oxygen.

There is an emergency access hatch between the upper and lower sections of the ship. If released by an emergency switch, it will fall to the deck and allow oxygen to reach the area where Mark and the others are. However, the hatch will crush the crewmember below, since he was knocked unconscious and is lying beneath it. Mark and the rest of the crew are almost out of air though, and they will all die if Mark does not do this.

Should Mark release the hatch and crush the crewmember below to save himself and the other crew members?

Philippine Red Cross responds to food poisoning incident

Published: 14 March 2005 0:00 CET

Philippine National Red Cross volunteers visit various hospitals where victims of the poisoning were being cared for, distributing food and providing psychological support to distraught families (p12701) Philippine National Red Cross volunteers visit various hospitals where victims of the poisoning were being cared for, distributing food and providing psychological support to distraught families (p12701)Teresita Usapdin in Manila

The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Chapter in Bohol gave food assistance and psychological support to the grief-stricken families of 27 school children who died on 9 March after eating contaminated cassava fries, known locally as maruyang balanghoy, during their recess time.

Another 105 people, including the vendors, were hospitalized due to food poisoning at the San Jose Elementary School in Mabini, Bohol.

Rita Requeron, officer in charge of the Bohol Red Cross chapter, said local Red Cross disaster response teams composed of more than 20 volunteers worked without let-up, visiting the various hospitals where the poisoned victims were confined, to distribute food and provide psychological support to distraught families.

“This is the first time we have experienced such an incident. We were shocked because cassava is the favourite food here. What on earth could have caused the poisoning,” Requeron said in disbelief.

PNRC Chairman Richard J. Gordon lauded the quick response of the chapter saying, “This is another kind of emerging disaster we have to prepare for, considering that cassava and other root crops are common food, especially in rural areas.”

Requeron said the majority of the 276 pupils in the school ate the cassava fries sold by a long-time vendor near the school. Shortly after, the children experienced dizziness and started vomiting.

Cassava, rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C and sodium, is an important food for Filipinos, and more than 400 million other people in tropical countries.

The Philippines health ministry says that pesticides used on the cassava were the most likely cause of the poisoning.

Growing up with Filipino Time [A Childhood Anecdote]

Filipino Time, which means things get done whenever they get done. Official Timing of The Philippines.

Example: I set up a party for 6:00. This is interpreted as 7:00 Filipino time.In some cases, Filipino hosts deliberately set the time an hour or so earlier, knowing that the guests will arrive an hour or so late. In this case, the poor Americans are surprised to see that they’re the first ones to arrive and the only ones there for the first hour or so.

Back in first grade, my house is located just the opposite of my elementary school, divided by the national highway connecting Muzon Rizal on its neighboring towns. Every summer, heat rises from the asphalt like a stifling haze which permeates to the surrounding houses and because of that, we would awake from our daily siesta drenched in sweat, like a fish being fried on its oil.

With my school just around my doorstep, being late is entirely impossible, which cuts out perfectly fine for me. I loathed the idea of being late. There’s nothing more dehumanizing than to walk inside a full-packed classroom and all the eyes of the teachers and students are on you, as if class tardiness is a crime of capital punishment.

My mom, meanwhile, is the complete opposite. She enjoys walking me to school and accompanying me to the classroom on the last minute. She fusses over my hair for long periods of time, as if appearance is of paramount importance. One time, during the School Recognition day wherein I was one of the students who would be awarded on stage, we my mom ascribed to a long process of make-up and hairstyle that I had to remind her many times my exposure on stage wouldn’t last ten seconds long. We were so late that by the time we got to the school grounds, the emcee has already been calling my name several times, and all the gaze of the people were on us as we climb up the stage, my mom taking her precious time and smiling away while I just want the earth to swallow me whole.

My fear of being late probably spawns from the fact that I hate taking too much time of other people. Time is very important to most, if not all people, and you can’t just spend their time by making them wait. I assumed the rest of the world shared the same thoughts, but not in The Philippines, I’m afraid.

I would have long ascribed myself to the Filipino time by being casually late, like the rest of my family and friends are, if it were not because of a traumatic incident back in the first grade. It was the first day of classes so you would think nothing would bum you out. Everything’s different, new uniforms, new books and new friends, new teachers…yet it turns out that the class I belonged in had the unfortunate situation of having a terror teacher as the adviser. This particular teacher, and her friend, are time fiends. They expect you to be on time all the time. As it turns out, I was the first person in the class who got a taste of their treatment when I arrived ten minutes late.

When my mom dropped me off the door, the teacher and her friend towered over me, arms crossed against their chest with malicious twinkle on their eyes. They started barking why I was late, what are my excuses. They especially became more enraged when they found out my house is just around the corner.

The teacher didn’t let me enter the class then. She made me stay at the door as the homeroom started. The corridors were empty except for me. The least thing I wanted to do is to cry but my pride acted like an impenetrable dam to my angry tears. After some time, the teacher let me in, but not before ordering the whole class to transfer to the half of the room. You see, our room is divided by two columns of chairs and desks, with each desk accommodating at least three students. My classmates were at the other half, while the teacher made me sit on the remaining half alone. The ostracism lasted until recess but the ordeal is stuck in my mind ever since.

From then on, I promised I would never be late again.

I exercised a strict adherence to time, may it be for classes, assignments, coverage, work, or even casual hang-out with friends, which is a hard thing to stick with since more than half of the people in this country have now succumbed to the Filipino time, or thirty minutes (even an hour) AFTER the designated time. I mean, couldn’t someone make a study or something of how Filipino time affects our economy and overall productivity??

One time I had to attend a coverage organized by a Japanese group dedicated to performance artists in a posh hotel at the heart of Manila, the Japanese special guests arrived 15 minutes before the time. The Filipino guests, speakers and press people wouldn’t arrive until an hour later and by the time then, the Japanese

peeps have already finished their dinner and are called for another engagement as per their schedule. That was such a Facepalm moment..

My friends and workmates would often tease me about my time OCD but I couldn’t care less. What pisses me off sometimes is how they kept doing the same thing, making you wait for hours and hours even if they know you’re already at the rendezvous . It’s exhausting and unfair, having to wake up early just so you can get there in time while the other party takes his time. Then again, just like the other eccentricities of my race, I learned to accept that it’s sort of a cultural thing, like they’ve grown used to people around them taking their time so they took their time as well.

But at some point in life, if I would be given a chance to fake my death, I would rehearse a scenario where I died waiting for someone, like a wild car would run over me while I’m waiting on the sidewalk or a heavy block of cement would fall over my head. I can already imagine it on tabloid headlines and evening news: “Girl killed in a freak accident while waiting for a friend” Then they should start taking time seriously for a change.

Moral or Value Conflicts

ByMichelle Maiese

What Is Moral Conflict?

The moral positions of anti-abortion and pro-choice activists are sometimes regarded as incommensurable. That is, the parties not only disagree about substantive moral issues, but also approach moral questions in a fundamentally different way. For this reason, the abortion debate is a prime example of a moral conflict. Because parties are unlikely to be willing to compromise their most cherished values, such conflicts are likely to be interminable and intractable.Protracted conflict sometimes results from a clash between differing world-views. One group's most fundamental and cherished assumptions about the best way to live may differ radically from the values held by another group.[1] Parties may have different standards of rightness and goodness and give fundamentally different answers to serious moral questions.[2] When groups have different ideas about the good life, they often stress the importance of different things, and may develop radically different or incompatible goals. This can lead to conflict.

Because values and morals tend to be quite stable, people are often unwilling to negotiate or compromise with respect to these topics. Indeed, if the basic substantive issues of the conflict are deeply embedded in the participants' moral orders, these issues are likely to be quite intractable.[3]

A group's moral order is related to its practices, its patterns of thinking, and its patterns of language. As they are socialized, group members learn to center their judgments on values and procedures fundamental to their own common culture.[4] Their moral order provides the set of meanings through which they understand their experience and make judgments about what is valuable and

important.[5] These patterns of meaning shape the way that individuals understand facts and issues and help them to develop a sense of identity. Social reality also dictates what counts as appropriate action and sets boundaries on what people are able to do.[6] It even affects the way in which emotions are labeled, understood, and acted upon. Thus, an individual's beliefs, sayings, and actions must be understood within the context of a particular social world.

People from the same culture have more or less equivalent realities and mindsets. Their values, assumptions, and procedures become part of "common sense" for them. However, when two parties that do not share norms of communication [customary patterns and rules of communication] and expectations about behavior must interact, they often clash.[7] Each party may believe that its ways of doing things and thinking about things is the best way and come to regard other ways of thinking and acting as inferior, strange, or morally wrong.[8]

Moral conflict occurs when disputants are acting within different social worlds, according to different meanings.[9] Indeed, one of the reasons groups in conflict have trouble breaking the pattern of interaction between them is that each is caught in its own moral order. When two groups have radically different ways of making sense of human life, it is likely that actions regarded by one side as good and prudent will be perceived by the other as evil or foolish.[10] This is because an action that one moral order deems perfectly acceptable may be regarded as an abomination by a different moral order.

For example, sometimes people distinguish between moral orders built on rights and those built on virtues.[11] Each one is associated with particular forms of society and ways of being human. While a rights-based approach is associated with the Enlightenment and modernity, a virtues-based approach emerges from traditional society. When modernists carry out acts regarded as obligatory or good within their own moral order, "these very acts offend traditionalists."[12] Inter-racial or inter-religious marriages, for example, are seen by many as one outgrowth of inclusivity and tolerance. The freedom to marry anyone is a "right." Traditionalists, however, would see it as evil -- harming their race or religion. Likewise, some traditional religious and political activities, for instance, limiting women's dress, freedom of movement, education, and/or public involvement is seen as abhorrent to modern, Western societies. The freedom to wear what one wants, and do what one wants, with no limitations, is seen as a woman's right. Yet the freedom that women exhibit in Western societies is abhorrent to some very traditional Muslim cultures, in which women's modesty is seen as a virtue. In short, the two groups have clashing conceptions of moral value.

In many cases, culture has a powerful influence on the moral order. Because systems of meaning and ways of thinking differ from one culture to another, people from different cultures typically develop different ideas about morality and the best way to live. They often have different conceptions of moral authority, truth, and the nature of community.[13] For example, some cultures

place great moral emphasis on the family, while others stress the importance of individual autonomy. These cultural differences become even more problematic when groups have radically different expectations about what is virtuous, what is right, and how to deal with moral conflicts.[14] Thus, culture wars are often driven by moral conflict.

In some cases, one group may come to view the beliefs and actions of another group as fundamentally evil and morally intolerable. This often results in hostility and violence and severely damages the relationship between the two groups. For this reason, moral conflicts tend to be quite harmful and intractable.

Features of Moral Conflict

Additional insights into moral or value conflicts are offered by Beyond Intractability project participants.To further understand moral conflict and deal with it effectively, it is helpful to be aware of its common features.

MisunderstandingsThe first general feature is the tendency for each side to misunderstand the words and actions of the other. People from incommensurate traditions may have trouble communicating because they rely on different systems of meaning, norms of communication, and behavioral expectations.

One possibility is that the participants use the same vocabulary but define and use these key terms differently. For example, the word "honor" might mean martial excellence to one party and economic success to the other.[15] But it is also possible that the groups simply rely on radically different vocabularies that stress the importance of different values. If one party regards the key terms used by the other as unimportant, communication between them will be quite strained. All of this contributes to misunderstanding and makes it very difficult for participants to "articulate the logic of the other sides' social world in ways that the other side will accept."[16]

Further misunderstanding and erroneous perceptions may arise because groups often perceive, define, and deal with conflict in different ways.[17] Because of differing cultural frames, many of the words used to describe appropriate behavior during conflict do not reflect the same content from one culture to another. For example, the terms "conflict," "aggression," "peace," "time," and "negotiation" are not value-free. They carry judgments with them and may be used differently in different cultures.[18] Aggression, usually defined as intentionally hurting another person, is a reflection of norms of conduct, and what hurts in one society may not be what hurts in another society. Thus, indicators of aggression may vary.[19] In the Middle East, for example, a direct

refusal is considered a hostile gesture. But in other cultures, raising an objection is customary and well accepted. Ideas about fairness and images of justice can also vary among different groups.

MistrustThe second general feature of moral conflict is that group members tend to develop feelings of mistrust and suspicion toward the other group -- even a sense that the other group poses a danger to their very survival. Given the groups' different values and systems of meaning, actions taken by one side to defuse or resolve the conflict may often be perceived as threatening by the other party.[20] This second party is likely to be stunned and offended by the other's action, and to respond in a negative way. This serves to perpetuate and/or intensify the conflict. Thus, the groups' different conceptions of morality lead to misunderstanding, which in turn contributes to conflict escalation.

Strained and Hostile Communication

Another general feature of moral conflicts is the hostility characteristic of the relationship and the communication between the parties. While sophisticated rhetoric consists of exchanging reasons in a quest to form shared beliefs, the patterns of communication in moral conflicts consist primarily in personal attacks, denunciations, and curses.[21] Slogans and chants replace arguments intended to persuade and inform, and the discourse between the two groups involves many statements about what is wrong with the other group. Thus, opportunities for opposing groups to converse intelligibly and reason together are diminished. When one group is denounced, its members are likely to become defensive, which can contribute to more negative emotions and behavior.

Thus, discourse often moves to sweeping generalizations and abstract principles.[22] For example, groups may appeal to abstract ideals of religion, patriotism, liberty, or "what America is all about" to point out why the actions of another group are morally wrong. In many cases, groups rely on rigidly held social or political beliefs, or ideology, to indicate why their position is morally superior. Such ideology is often accompanied by a sense of urgency about the need for pursuing those ideals.[23]

Negative StereotypingDiscourse often involves sweeping generalizations about members of the other group. People in moral conflicts tend to invidiously categorize and denounce the personalities, intelligence, and social manners of those with whom they disagree.[24] They may form negative stereotypes and attribute moral depravity or other negative characteristics to those who violate their cultural expectations, while they ignore their own vices and foibles, perceiving their own group to be entirely virtuous. This is what social psychologists call the attribution error.

For example, disputants may attribute the "strange" behavior of foreigners to undesirable character traits, such as moral depravity or lack of intelligence, rather than realizing that their seemingly inappropriate acts are simply a matter of cultural difference.[25] Because parties are typically unable to give rich accounts of the moral order of the opposing group, they are likely to attribute whatever the group does to its stupidity, evil nature, and overall moral depravity. Groups with radically different conceptions of morality may feel stunned and offended by the actions or words of the other group and denounce those actions or the group as a whole.[26]

Non-negotiabilityThese belief systems pull together fundamental assumptions and global viewpoints that are in general not up for compromise.[27] Strict adherence to ideology can make it particularly difficult for individuals to approach those with differing worldviews with an open mind. They come to see the conflict entirely in win-lose terms. They may even get to the point that the goal of harming the other becomes more important than helping oneself.[28]

Effects of Moral ConflictNot surprisingly, moral conflict often has harmful effects. Participants in moral conflict often behave immorally, even according to their own standards of behavior, because they believe the actions of their enemies force them to do so.[29] If a group is regarded as morally depraved, its members may come to be regarded as less than human and undeserving of humane treatment. The demonization or dehumanization of one's opponent that often occurs in moral conflict paves the way for hateful action and violence. It often leads to human rights violations or even attempts at genocide, as parties may come to believe that the capitulation or elimination of the other group is the only way to resolve the conflict.[30]

Why Moral Conflict is IntractableBecause of its deep-roots, moral conflicts tend to be intractable and long-lasting.[31] Parties to such conflict often have great difficulty in describing the substantive issues in shared terms. Because they are arguing from different moral positions, they disagree about the meaning and significance of the important issues.[32] This makes negotiation or compromise extremely difficult in and of itself.

Resolution becomes even more difficult when parties disagree not only about substantive issues, but also about which forms of conflict resolution are morally right, aesthetically preferred, and politically prudent.[33] Parties may have very different ideas about how to gather information, arrive at a conclusion, make a decision, and deal with uncertainty.[34]

Over the course of conflict, the original issues often become irrelevant and new causes for conflict are generated by actions within the conflict itself. This is

because in moral conflict, when groups try to act consistently with what they believe is morally good and just, they "prove" to the other side that they are fools or villains.[35] Thus, the means by which the parties seek resolution often just provoke further conflict. As the conflict continues, substantive issues are largely forgotten and "the other side's means of dealing with the conflict is itself the force that drives the interactions among the various conflicted parties."[36] Thus, moral conflicts are self-sustaining.

Parties involved in moral conflict also tend to have great difficulty in imagining a win-win resolution of the conflict at hand. The substantive issues are often a matter of rigidly held moral beliefs, based in fundamental assumptions that cannot be proved wrong.[37] These fundamental moral, religious, and personal values are not easily changed, and people who adhere to a particular ideology may very well be unwilling to compromise their world-view. Instead, as noted earlier, they may engage in diatribe, a rhetorical strategy that discredits adversaries by characterizing them as evil or morally inferior.[38] Such characterizations often lead to subversion, repression, and violence. Because rational discourse has become useless, each party may try to force the other side into compliance.[39] The conflict is likely to escalate and become more protracted as a result.

Also, those involved in moral conflict may regard perpetuation of the conflict as virtuous or necessary. They may derive part of their identity from being warriors or opponents of their enemy and have a stake in the continuation of the conflict because it provides them with a highly desirable role.[40] In addition, because struggles over values often involve claims to status and power, parties may have a great stake in neutralizing, injuring or eliminating their rivals. They may view any compromise about their most cherished values as a threat to their very identity and a grave evil. Indeed, moral conflicts often stem from a desire to safeguard basic human needs such as security and social recognition of identity. On some occasions, the continuation of a conflict may seem preferable to what would have to be given up if the other party were accommodated.[41]

Unfortunately, those enmeshed in moral conflict may be unable to discern the effects of conflict, even if those effects themselves threaten the basic human needs that were at issue. Because moral conflicts tend to be intractable and have great potential for violence, we must search for new ways to manage them.

Dealing With Moral ConflictWhat can be done when parties are faced with moral differences that seem to be intolerable?

Changing the StoriesIn some cases, each party can heighten its understanding of the other's world-view through new forms of communication. Some suggest that moral conflict be viewed as a particular form of communication and pattern of interaction. At

various points in a moral conflict, people have the ability to handle their conflict differently.[42] One way in which people can change the pattern of conflict is by telling different stories about what they are doing. By using narratives and story-telling to communicate they can enrich the views that each side has about the other, often revealing commonalities in the midst of all the differences.

ReframingThird parties can sometime help the disputants to redefine or reframe their conflict, focusing more on attainable interests and less on non-negotiable positions or negative stereotypes. They can also help parties to seek mutually beneficial outcomes rather than competitive, win-lose outcomes. Even if the moral differences cannot be eliminated, sometimes the parties share interests or needs. All sides, for example, have a need for security, and increasing the feeling of security of one side does not diminish the security of the other side, as is commonly believed. Rather the opposite is generally true: the more secure one side feels, the less it feels a need to attack the other side; hence the more secure the other side is likely to feel. Therefore, reframing the conflict as a problem (at least in part) of security can sometimes help to get the parties to focus on something they can achieve together rather than on their non-negotiable differences.

DialogueSimilar to story-telling, dialogue is a process of in-depth communication that allows parties to get to know each other better and to find commonalities with the other side. Although there are many forms and contexts of dialogue, all seek to replace the ubiquitous "diatribe" of moral conflicts with respectful communication, empathic listening, improved understanding, and respect. In some cases, these new forms of communication may help parties to see that their moral disagreements are less deep and fundamental than they previously thought. However, in other cases, the substantive issues will truly be beyond compromise.

Some suggest that in these sorts of cases, parties must strive to develop a space for citizenly public discourse.[43] Even though the parties have radically different world-views and do not agree about the relevant issues, they can nevertheless reach an agreement about how to contend with moral and political differences in a constructive way. In other words, they can come to an agreement about how to disagree. They can thereby find a way to manage their conflict in a way that minimizes the costs to both parties.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PRELIMINARIESII. VALUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . 1 - 4

III. BIOGRAPHIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 - 6

IV. STORIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 - 9

V. PARABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10 - 13

VI. ESSAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14 -15

VII. ARTICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

VIII. CLASSICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17 - 21

IX. NEWSPAPERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22

X. PROVERBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

XI. QUOTATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24 – 25

XII. VALUE/MORAL DILEMMA

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26 - 27

XIII. SCHOOL INCIDENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

XIV. ANECDOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 -31

. . . . . . . XV. CONFLICT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . 31 -

37

Alfelor Sr. Memorial CollegeDel Gallego, Camarines Sur

COMPILATIO

NIN

VALUES

EDUCA

In Partial fulfillment of the requirements in Value Ed

BY:

CHEKARL V. SUARILLAStudent

TO:

MACARIA C. EVANGELISTAInstructor

COMPILATIO

NIN

VALUES

EDUCA