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WHAT DO YOU VALUE?
“Our dreams, goals, and
ideas come from our values.… If what we are doing does not come
from what we care about most in life, it is meaningless.”
-- G. Lynne Snead &
Joyce Wycoff
What do
you value in life? What does your culture value? Is there
alignment or conflict between the two?
It’s
important to be clear about this. Cultural values, which are
collective rather than personal, are rooted in our subconscious.
As a result, they influence us without our being aware of it. If
a cultural value like ‘success is measured by a person’s
financial wealth’ conflicts with my personal definition of
success, it will undermine my ability to fully live by my own
values. Unknowingly, I may doubt the truth of my position or
even worse, believe there’s something inherently wrong with me.
As women,
we especially need to be aware of this, as so many of the values
that have historically been assigned to women have been degraded
by society at large. To empower ourselves, we need to reflect on
what truly matters to us and become conscious of how society’s
cultural values may be challenging our own truth. Awareness
alone holds power.
“Cowardice asks the question
-- is it safe?
Expediency asks the question -- is it politic?
Vanity asks the question -- is it popular?
But conscience asks the question -- is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is
neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it
BECAUSE it is right.”
-- Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. |
