Values are the good habits that are contagious. They are passed down through generations.

Values bind us together and set us apart. Today, our society is seeing a terrible amount of lack of
value. People are discriminating and being discriminated against. Nature is being destroyed,
while destruction is being planned. What can I say, we seem to be leaving behind a legacy of
hatred and destruction for our future generations. What does our society need? It needs a value
check and mindset change. People are forgetting the important values in society which we need
to focus on.

Important Values in Society - Empathy

The most important values in life and in society revolve around empathy. How can one
concentrate on co-existing on the same planet, without a speck of empathy. We need to be able
to accept others for what they are, not what they can do for us. We need to stop concentrating on
how we can reduce competition and focus on how we can grow together. While we all have to
look out for ourselves at the end of the day, we need to remember this quote, "The day we stop
fighting for each other, we stop being humans!"

Important Values in Society - Mutual Respect

It is clear, we all have our strengths as well as weaknesses. Mutual respect means having respect
in our minds for everyone. Even if you are up against a person, wherein it is your honor against
theirs, it is important to have mutual respect. It is this respect that makes us human. Without this
respect, we become like animals. This respect can help us keep the balance between welfare state
and social Darwinism in society. We need to respect our friends for their friendship and our
enemies for their ability to be competitive and their conviction. Mutual respect in one of the
important values in a relationship.

Important Values in Society - Love

This may seem surreal, but honestly, love conquers all. With love in our hearts, we feel no need
to harm another. We will raise ourselves, rather than pull another down. We will focus on the
similarities of opinions rather than the difference of color, religion or sexual orientation. We will
punish, but not kill. We will request, but not steal. With love, we will be people and not
monsters! Yes, if we want our society to be good to us, we need to be good to it, as well. After
all, you give love to get love, right?

Important Values in Society - Loyalty

People often forget the meaning and importance of loyalty. Loyalty is an emotion that binds us to
a person, thing or sentiment. This emotions restricts us from ever betraying that person or thing.
As such, what our society clearly needs today, is loyalty. We need to be loyal to each other, to
shudder at the thought of speaking, or thinking negative about each other. We need this loyalty to
gather the strength to stand up against something that will harm our society and to stand up for
the oppressed. It is this loyalty, that will bring down the global walls and make this world one
big home again!

Important Values in Society - Honesty

We all claim to follow the above values in society, right? In our own way, we think we are
perfect. Honesty in society is to accept yourself for what you are, and let everyone know that as
well. This honesty will help you make yourself better, simply because you had the ability to
admit your flaws and work towards improving yourself. It is this honesty, that will make others
help you out, not because you need it. But, because they have flaws too, which you can help out
with. This honesty will help us follow the other values in society and, truly, "heal the world"!
But, you could always gain more perspective by knowing is honesty the best policy?
Values are the deep-seated beliefs that people, institutions, and societies share.

A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful to one. Whether we are

consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can
range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work, self-reliance, and�punctuality,
to the more psychological, such as concern for others, trust, and harmony of purpose.
The deepest poise for an individual, business, or society are its values. When values are
implemented or are newly developed, then outer circumstances can change ten times faster (and
better) than merely trying to change things on the surface.
The key point to keep in mind about values is that implementing them energizes everything
concerned with it. For an individual, committing to and applying values releases fresh energies,
which always attracts success, achievement, and well-being. Likewise, when companies or other
institutions adopt values, individuals working at the organization become energized, as do its
customers, its products and services, and everyone and everything else associated with that
organization.
The single most important force in the company for progress, accomplishment, success, and joy
is its business values.
The greatness and nobleness of an event do not depend on material success, but on the feelings
which inspire it and the goal which men have pursued. [These are its values.]
Personal values for an individual, business values for the company, and social values of the
society are a reflection of the highest principal of mind and thought, and may can even be said to
be part of the spiritual domain. Values release tremendous potential for success,
accomplishment, and happiness.
Values, which are really spiritual skills, can raise the results of work a hundred-fold or more.
The Universe comes to us as values.
A skill is only as good as the value associated with it.
Values are higher consciousness that enables a movement to the next higher plane.
Values can be evaluated in terms of energy, force, power, skills, results, enjoyment,
accomplishment, progress, time, space, matter, life, mind, spirit, the twelve aspects of the Spirit
and every known aspect of life.

Enduring Values in Indian Society

The Indian society of today largely derives its attitude to life and the world at large, from the
broad cultural framework suggested in the old texts. The guidance provided by the Rig Veda and
the texts that followed it, including the Buddhist and Jain texts, was never rigid. The framework
was suggestive and flexible. The two principles of quality of life and the individual freedom
were at the heart of their message. These were addressed to the society at large including its
subcultures.

The framework was woven around three concepts viz. rta, rna and purusharthas. As I mentioned
earlier, rta recognizes our oneness with our environment and our unity with all life on earth;
while rna underlines the responsibility of man to his family, his community, his environment and
to himself as a human being. It signifies natural or universal order and integrity of all forms of
life and ecological systems,

An outflow from the above two is the notion that aims to set values in a normal day-to-day life.
These related to the acquisition of wealth (artha), pursuit of pleasure (kama) guided and
governed by Dharma. They form a group of three (tri-varga), as called by Gautama and Manu
(2,224).This is common to all segments of the society.

[The fourth one, seeking liberation from phenomenal ills (moksha) is optional and is outside the
set of three (apa _varga). It is not considered an ordinary human aspiration. Those who pursue
this option are beyond the pale of the society and its disciplines.]

It is essential that pursuit of wealth and pleasure is guided and restrained by Dharma. It is the
violation of this requirement that sets apart the not _so_ virtuous from the virtuous in the epic
stories

Dharma in this context is characterized by human values like truth, compassion, self-restraint,
non-enmity, forgiveness etc. It provides ample scope for individual conscience and liberty.

**
Upanishads or its earlier texts did not at any time lay claim for discovering the ultimate truth nor
did they prevent anyone from questioning their opinions. On the other hand, they encouraged the
seekers to think, contemplate, question and find their own solutions.

The Buddha articulated the fundamental sprit of the Upanishads. He discouraged his disciples
from borrowing ideas. Through his famous saying, "Live as a light unto yourself” Buddha
encouraged his disciples to be mature, and independent.

Ashoka (d.483BC) who followed the Buddha brought focus on human dignity, purposeful life
and human values.

Shankara valued personal experience (anubhava) over other means of knowledge. He used in this
context a peculiar expression and said, “Be guided by what is “presented to ones own heart (sva-
hrudaya-pratyayam).”

Thus, the fundamental Indian outlook developed and nurtured by the ancients has set the tenor
and tone of Indian cultural history. The freedom of the individual to choose his way of life, to
follow his conviction and to pursue interests close to his heart is a distinctive feature of the
Indian ethos.

If India’s culture tended to become tolerant, accommodating, open minded, opposed to organized
regimentation, spiritual but not fanatic; it is largely due to the pervasive but unobtrusive
influence of the seers, thinkers, and ordinary people of this country, down the ages.
There has never been a central agency or an organization in India to monitor or diffuse cultural
values among its people. The spread of cultural values has always been, at the grass root level,
by countless iterant, unassuming bards, fakirs, saints many of them outlandish and exotic. They
came from all segments, all divisions of the society. They came from different regions, different
religions, different sects and sub sects. They roamed about the countryside without any
expectation or reward .They preached and lived what they believed. Those nameless, non-
conforming selfless savants have been the guardians of Indian culture.

***

Over the centuries, India has absorbed the various influxes that flowed into the country. It has
tempered the cross currents that blew across it .These have collectively rendered the Indian
culture not only colorful but also complex. Yet, the country and its people have retained the
essential Indian ethos and plurality of its values.

This is reflected in our increasing assimilation with the global community, which I view as a sign
of healthy growth. This present generation of Indians is comfortable both at home and abroad.
They are not afflicted by the pretensions of the colonial era nor or they timidly self-conscious as
in the “Hindu growth rate” years. For instance, when I lived in London for a short while (that
was a very long time ago), those of us on the fringe nicknamed the inner circle of Indians as “the
coconuts”- brown out side and white inside. They were Indians in appearance but more English
than the English in their behavior and thinking. Now, looking back, I realize it was a defensive
mechanism necessary to survive in an unfriendly society. The present day Indians there, I learn,
are Chikkoos – brown outside and slightly less brown inside. That is ok..They are comfortably
integrated into those societies they live and yet retain their identity.

Gandhi summed it up for all of us when he said, “I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown
about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”

Today, the young Indian is trying to internalize various influences and to chosen a path of his
own. He is striving to become “mature and independent” as the Buddha asked of his disciples. It
is however essential that, in this process, he does not loose his identity and he retains his core
spirituality. It is only then we can say, with confidence, the ancient framework woven around
sturdy commonsense, which was suggestive and flexible, is still in operation.