My Values

I read an article the other day about defining core values.  I have had three core values that have guided my life for about six years now, but after reading the article decided to add two as well as renew my desire to live by these values.

Everyone should have values to live by.  They give you a sense of direction in life and help you make important decisions.  Instead of coming to a decision making point and wondering what to do you can simplify the process by checking to see if it is in line with your values.

The three values I have had for a while are honor, respect and service, and I added truth and love.

Honor is about doing the right thing for the right reasons.  Its doing what you should when you should and being where you should when you should.

Respect means taking care of people and things around you and treating them right.  It can be anything from respecting peoples' property to showing reverence to peoples' beliefs and culture, to simply having good manners.  Its also important to respect yourself and not live below your standards.

Service is fairly simple.  Just do good things whenever you have the chance.  Instead of paying someone back for something they have done for you, think about paying it forward and spreading acts of kindness.

Love means love for family, friends, God and anyone who is human.  It goes beyond simply respecting someone to truly caring for them as a person.

Truth is not limited to just what science can tell us.  Truth should be sought for and accepted from wherever it comes.  I seek truth from science as well as religion.  Quite often those two are not put together but if something is true why should it matter where it comes from?  Both science and religion seek for truth and should be in complete agreement if they truly find truth.

Someday I may write more on each of those values, but for now an overview is enough.  Choose your own virtues and start your path to a better more fulfilling life and of course better thinking.