Last day of February, the Discussion group had its monthly meeting.
We started the discussion by defining what our values are and came up with such terms as freedom, equality, love/compassion, honesty, integrity.
We discussed if these personal core values still resonate with us. Some members gave examples from their own life when important values like respect and equality were a cornerstone in their professional career, creating an atmosphere of trust in their business environment.
Unfortunately, we noticed that especially trust eroded during the years after WWII. If some behaviour of the highest-ranking government officials, like lying, say 100 years ago was a huge scandal, today we believe that the majority or all governments are lying. What was once considered scandalous—dishonesty among high-ranking officials—now seems almost expected. We’ve come to believe that deception is a norm in many governments, leaving us questioning the very fabric of our societies.
We discussed possible reasons behind these changes in values. A powerful one is Technological and Social Media Influence with content promoting violence, individualism and superficiality, and therefore contributing to the normalisation of negative behaviours.
Some members mentioned that another significant contributor is capitalism itself, where money and wealth are often seen as the ultimate virtue.
Some participants commented that there is no correction for bad behaviour, starting with schools where teachers could struggle with students’ discipline and ignorance and finishing with governments’ decisions, badly affecting the whole country, when the only real penalty for them is not to be elected.
Personal moral values, particularly important for a positive relationship between the government and society, are trust and solidarity. These values are crucial for solving societal problems that require both governmental and individual responsibility.
But we don’t know and don’t feel anymore what today’s core values for governments, societies, and countries are.
Sometimes, it is worth to refresh our views, remembering George Orwell’s book ‘1984‘ ‘sayings like “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength,” “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”. “Big Brother is watching you” or “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” Can we apply these sayings today to our governments and societies?
We finished this very interesting and involving meeting with the question What is worth living for? What would you answer?
