Our actions, emotions, decisions, and life priorities all trace back to our values. Understanding values brings clarity, reduces confusion, and supports better decision‑making.
Why Values Matter
- Values shape behavior: What we do is determined by what we value.
- Awareness of values brings clarity: Knowing your values helps resolve confusion and align decisions.
- Values must be chosen, not imposed: Only self‑chosen values can be truly assimilated into one’s life.
- Values are universal in content but context‑dependent in application.
How We Relate to Values
1. We apply values more strictly to others than to ourselves
Example:
We demand refunds when we receive less than we paid for, but rarely report when we receive more than we paid for.
2. Going against our own values creates guilt
Example:
If truthfulness is your value but your employer pressures you to falsify data, guilt arises and disturbs mental peace.
3. Not living up to our accepted values creates inner conflict
Example:
You value health but cannot maintain healthy habits due to pressures — leading to misalignment between thoughts, words, and actions.
4. We expect 100% compliance from others but not from ourselves
This creates what Swami Dayananda Saraswati calls a split value.
Examples:
- Telling children to avoid screens while being glued to our own devices.
- Building a wellness app while being addicted to smoking or alcohol.
5. Split values create the “knower–doer” gap
- You know the value.
- You want to live it.
- But your actions don’t align.
- This leads to guilt, fragmentation, and lack of inner integration.
Values are not abstract ideals — they shape our mental state, our choices, and our sense of inner harmony.