Moral values can be defined as all the good internal values we possess, such as honesty, kindness, authenticity, altruism and so on.
Each human being lives by their own moral codes that they learnt from their parents, teachers, elders, peer groups, societal conditioning and so on.
The importance of Moral values is as follows:
- Moral values are intrinsic to human life as we are conscious beings with a conscience.
- Those who possess qualities such as integrity, ethics, honesty, compassion, kindness, perseverance, self control, tolerance are considered to be a priceless asset to our society.
- Moral values are sometimes a product of social stereotypes and religious conditionings and such values are often dogmatic.
- For example, a moral value like “never talk back to an elder” might teach one to quietly accept harmful or wrong behavior from someone just because they are older in age.
- In Indian society, many apparent moral values are based on gender discrimination and these too should be reinterpreted with progressing times.
- Some moral values are timeless and Universal and these are based on humanitarian values, like kindness, compassion, honesty, non-violence and so on.
Moral values shape a person, their personality, their actions, speech and choices. That is why we need to be careful which moral values we are picking up and from where. We need to ground our moral values on Universal Humanism rather than on subjective cultural norms and social expectations.
By Vishakha
EdgeArticles 