Rahul’s devastated, bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘He saw his favourite uncle who preaches honesty and integrity paying a bribe.’
‘I’m disillusioned,’ said Rahul. ‘For us, it is ‘honesty is the best policy’, ‘love all’, ‘respect elders’ and so on but they don’t seem to apply to those preaching to us.’
‘Ah,’ said Rakesh. ‘What should ‘you’ practice is the question. Honesty, respect, love and so on are aspirational values for us to live up to, lofty examples to follow and become better people.’
‘But why follow these values when others aren’t?’ asked Rinku.
‘Our values are our personal choice, not a rule,’ said Rakesh.
‘Your values are what you value. Don’t adopt them because someone told you to. Own them because you believe in them.’
‘So I can have my own values?’ asked Rahul. ‘How?’
‘By defining, calibrating and choosing your own value system,’ said Rakesh. ‘The clearer we are about what our values mean, the easier it is to practice them. To your uncle, bribing and talking of honesty in the same breath is fine, it’s his choice. But you can choose not to bribe. Do what you believe is right.’
‘But bhaiyya, how will these values help us?’ asked Rinku.
‘Our values guide our behaviours,’ said Rakesh. ‘They help us choose between right and wrong actions. They hold us when the stakes are high, when we require clarity and strength of character. When we have a weak value system, we take the easy way out when the heat increases. The right values strengthen us.’
‘But why take the tough route for nothing, bhaiyya?’ said Rahul.
‘Why not enjoy the easy route?’
‘Because we must ‘be’ what we wish to see in this world, Rahul,’ said Rakesh. ‘If you want an honest, open, transparent world, practice the values you wish to see. Put those behaviours into the pot. Don’t crib about the world if you can’t do your bit. Sure, people and situations will test you — that’s when the strength of your convictions will show up. What we give is what we get.’
‘But bhaiyya, I’ve seen people with no values become rich,’ said Rahul, ‘And people with values suffer. How’s that?’
‘Ah, don’t make the wrong connections,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘There are many ways to get rich and successful. You can choose the right values, be creative, help millions and get rich. Or you can cheat, lie and rob. It’s your choice. Your values are the foundation on which your character gets built.’
‘Thanks, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul.
‘I’ll choose my values clearly now.’
Pro Tip: Your values are your personal choices. Choose, define and own your values. They guide your actions and help you become the person you wish to be.