Values = Principles?

[kieranperez]

In order to create any real change towards say a more fulfilling life or create any sort of significant change or transformation there has to be a submission to what’s required. What may be required though may not be something you necessarily want to do. If you or I wish to invent something that’s effective tit cannot be ineffective. 

With that said, if we’re clear on our own top values, wouldn’t it be safe to say that our top values are also our own top principles we can submit to to help facilitate a real change? 

For example: Let’s say I realize that my top value is Truth. So I’m really passionate about seeking what is actually true about anything, I’m curious about life and all that cool stuff. However... I have a pattern of low integrity, laziness, lying, etc. Couldn’t my top value in this case not only help me to give me a pointer of not only what I want to pursue but how I can live my life? So if my top value is truth, being in integrity with such a principle would probably involve speaking the truth, telling myself the truth, putting my ass on the line and actually doing what it may take for me, whatever that is, to realize what’s for myself what’s true in my own personal investigation, etc.?

[LastThursday]

What is a value? 

It appears to be a verby-noun describing some generalised activity which you think you cherish in some way. So for example:

Love: The idea of giving love to others or receiving it.

Truth: The idea of finding things which are true in the world, or always telling the truth.

Courage: The idea of not showing weakness in dangerous or uncertain situations.

So they are in fact very broad and devoid of content. Empty vessels if you like, that you can fill with any situation you like (where's the romance eh?).

Notice that 'low integrity', 'laziness' and 'lying' are also just values - that are maybe higher in priority than you want them to be.

The danger is in confusing the act with the value.  Any action doesn't really have any inherent meaning in itself, instead you cast your net of 'values' over it and interpret yourself through this net. You then give yourself a pat on the back when your situation strongly aligns with a particular value (e.g. you have interpreted a situation as being Courageous).

When you get the stimulus of having met one of your values, you naturally want to find yourself in more situations that trigger that in future - you seek them out or manufacture situations to suit the value.

Principles are just the application of your values - casting the net.

In the end it's really about building a compelling character in a story of yourself that makes you feel positive and so, motivated to act.

 

[ValiantSalvatore]

@kieranperez I see a principle as a guideline or a prime directive/credo. That has a function. 

For e.g pareto principle of the 80/20 rule. 

Or 7 principles of success(habit) for e.g seek first to understand then to be understood. 

A value is something that is internally meaningful to me for e.g curiosity therefore acting out without knowing that I do it I feel happy. When I know I feel pleasent and in "aligment". (for Green/purple talk) 

A principle is something more abstract that has no meaning to me or value but could generate both. 

A value is something I internally cherish and want to abide by, the same with a principle but, a principle is more abstract for me and has it's function. It's a credo or prime directive in which I can achieve what I want since for e.g it has been tested or is common wisdom. Which can become common pratice. 

The point with a nihilsitc perspective is that, it does not matter. Since I create or abide by principles anyway and therefore I can also just create it to fullfill the need of meaning. With a reference to Maslow. 

Checking Sussan Cook Greuters Work (Recommended by Ken also) is a great tool to see the self and his or her inherent intrapersonal relationship with it self. For e.g a high level acts on meaning creation rather than nihilism. With paradoxes and contradictions skimming the paper is a good tool imo. 

 

[Epsilon Codex]

On the truth value topic, I have come to value the same thing and so am highly motivated to seek truth in reading and whatnot. For me the truth of many things that most do not question (normative behavior) has been fully revealed to me over time as not true in the same sense that I can read a book about an idea that is well studied and that it truth. I'm talking about basic things no one questions like how u move your hands while driving, how you behave in any public situation. Everyone is so filtered and its not because anyone is forcing them. I slowly started experimenting with doing extremely bizarre movements because i can and because i  know it shocks people but then they see that i am not an insane person, i am sane but i am also talking to a cloud. I realized there is more reasons to to talk to the cloud then to get a response and conversely there is more reasons to act bizarre for my own reason then there is a reason to hold my body in the normal way to avoid looking dumb to others.  This was really difficult at first but it also helped me to truly not care what strangers think of me. It freed me in a way that is powerful because everyone else is very predictable in their body movement around others (raise your hand sometime in a busy public place and every person will look at it. It gets fun. So my final thought is that there is truth that u create for u alone that is highly valuable in my experience. And the truth will set you free.

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Epsilon Codex