There are not much varieties of values..We can divide them entirely into two kinds-
1. MAN MADE AND
2. EXISTENTIAL.
But before going into this let's understand what are values..
What are values? What do we mean by values? All right, without going too much into the word, what do you mean when you say something is valuable to you? Important.
You give it importance. Right? So, when you say that such and such are my values, in fact, you are saying that you are giving importance to such things in your life. Right?
The question is now two fold - One, where did these values come from? When I say these are my values, are they really 'my' values? When I say these are my personal values, I give great importance to these things in my life. Do I really give importance? From where did I get these values? That is the first question.
Second question is, do I really understand what I mean when I say for me parents are valuable, truth is valuable, freedom is valuable? Do I really understand what I mean by all that. Who will help me to answer the first part of the questions? Where do we get these values from?
From our surroundings. As are your surroundings, so would be your values. Surroundings give thoughts to you and these values are basically thoughts. Are we really justified in saying that these are our values? Are we really justified in saying that these are our values, if the values are coming from the surroundings?
If our values are all coming from the surroundings, is it really intelligent of us to say these are 'my' values?
Such are our values and that is why our values differ from person to person, family to family, city to city, religion to religion, country to country. Because as the surroundings change, values also change. So much so that if you move out of this country and go to another country, soon you will find that your values are also changing.
So that is the first part. What we call as our values are usually not at all our values. Somebody else gives them to us, right since childhood and because we are dependent upon others,we have no option. We take that in. Mistakenly, we start calling it our value. That is the first part.
Second part, do we really understand what we call as values. Do we really understand? For all the difference that we find in values between persons, between communities, between countries, a few values seems to be quiet common. The real, the valuable(stressing on the word 'real'), the really valuable is discovered by the mind only when it gives up that which is trivial. Mind lives in its own values. We will call them as 'man-made values'.
See what mind values, see what it has been trained to value, see how it gets habituated and conditioned. Look around! What does the mind value? Look around the world and you will see what the mind values. Prestige, respect, power, position, money, greed, security, pleasure, acceptance, validation, that is what the mind values. Right?
As long as the mind is valuing these, there is no question of coming upon that which is really valuable.
What is valuable in life for you? The honor of your tribe, the respect of your family, the certificates that you gain from others, having a nice, secure house, having some kind of bank-balance. That is what most people say is valuable. Is that not so? If you ask them, 'What do you value? What do you find important?', this is what they will say that they find important. Entertainment! Right?
Till the time you find all these important, your boxes are already ticked! There is no scope for enquiry, there is no scope of opening the gates of mind to the truth. You have already decided!
The most important thing is to have a good life. And what is that good life? That which TV commercials tell you. Branded clothes, luxuries, working in a reputed organization, a fixed salary, and prospects of growing, whatever that means. When the mind is cluttered with these values, then the real cannot come.
When the mind is cleared of all these contents, then what remains? Nothing!
You remove all that from yourself that you have obtained from others and from time and history. You remove all that and what remains? Nothing! That emptiness, that cleanliness, that clarity is the central thing, is the fundamental truth. That nothingness, clean, empty. Empty of what? Empty of garbage. Pure and shining. Shining with what? Nothing! Just the shine!
That emptiness is the core value and it is not man-made. Remember!
You come upon it only after removing everything that is man-made. Once you remove all that which is man-made, you come upon that which is essential, non-man-made, and hence real.
That essential expresses itself in a few ways. That essential expresses itself through mind, when the mind is not conditioned. When there is clarity, then that essential radiates its shine. Its ways are four-fold. What are those ways?
Truth, Joy, Love and Freedom.
These are the excepts from my blog prashantadvait.com which contains rich sources of such articles wherein you can get more clarity on these topics. Do visit and have more clarity.
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