The strength is in your values

The best example of this type of strength is Gandhi. The great thing about his fight was having managed to defeat an entire empire, and doing so thanks to the strength of his convictions and renouncing violence. However, there are many other heroes everyday stories with shorter lines in history books that with their actions perpetuate faith in that truth : the strength is in the values.

There are many who throughout history have endured the most terrible vicissitudes just to defend their convictions. They have shown impressive strength. A force that is born from within, from what is in your mind and your heart. It does not come from having physical, or economic, or any kind of superiority. They manage to maintain themselves, and many times win, using only their moral superiority.

This also happens in everyday life. We are capable of facing situations of injustice of falsehood or ignominy when our values ​​form a compass that we follow. The same thing happens with our goals: we become capable of pursuing them when they are supported by clear and defined values. That’s what gives us strength. That is what allows us to resist, persist and not give up.

Why does strength come from values?

Ethics is the most finished product of culture . Also of the individual. Values ​​are what give coherence to a society. They are also what allow social coexistence to be possible. These agreements, implicit and explicit, about what is good or desirable and bad or reprehensible are what make up the social fabric.

According to Jean Piaget, ethics Autonomy is the most advanced point of moral evolution. It is only achieved when intelligence has developed sufficiently. It is the fruit of a long maturation process, from “anomie” or total lack of values ​​with which we are born, to “autonomy” or the ability to think for ourselves and draw our own conclusions.

In addition to its social importance, Ethics also plays a decisive role in individual life. It is this that guides the actions and gives them meaning. to the same. It is also the strength that makes it possible to face vicissitudes and stay standing during difficult times.

For some, these ethics are supported, based or even dictated by religion. Thus, they stick to their religious values ​​in bad times. For others, some philosophy, a thesis or another type of belief. There are also those who renounce values ​​and adopt a pragmatic and cynical position towards life.. Likewise, they also refuse to give meaning to actions that goes beyond personal interests and conveniences. They protect themselves from disappointments, but they significantly impoverish their lives.

Behavior and values

The human being goes through an entire process of evolution before constructing his or her own values. Not everyone makes it to the end of that process. Many remain in a phase called “heteronomy”. In this, the child (or adult) He does not act based on his convictions or values, but is guided by what authority figures impose. For them, what these figures designate is good or bad. Its main objective is not to come into contradiction with such authority figures.

When moral development is complete, the only authority that is obeyed is one’s own conscience.. Unlike the previous stages, values ​​are not assumed by tradition, repetition or because the prevailing authority says so. These are the result of one’s own reflection, sometimes being contrary to what the majority of society supports. In a word, they are autonomous values.

Let’s think that values ​​are meanings. Attributes that are considered desirable or worthy of promotion. They guide behavior and give meaning to actions. They imply a commitment: lining up on the side that is considered adequate or correct. Ethics is flexible. This is not a dogmatic mandate. It always depends on the conscious evaluation that a person makes of different situations. Precisely for this reason it gives strength: it depends on one’s own conscience and not on an external mandate or improvisation.

There comes a point when it is convenient for us to ask ourselves about the values ​​in which our actions are framed.. Sometimes we have simply adhered to them out of custom or tradition, or just because most people believe the same thing. That is precisely what makes us sometimes feel lost. Ethics not only gives us the strength to go after what we really want, but also makes it possible for our intention and actions to remain aligned in most cases.

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