by Brent Johnson
Recently, I was taking a walk with a friend of mine, who upon noticing various pieces of trash - empty beer cans, food wrappers, etc. - commented that “humans are pigs”.
This got me to thinking. It occurred to me that humans are perhaps more like dogs than pigs, and values are their leashes.
Without a system of values, humans feel free to do anything they feel like doing. This leads to dumping garbage on otherwise beautiful land without consideration or regard for either the landowners or those people simply seeking to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Conversely, someone who has been raised with a clear system of values will tend not to just dump his or her garbage - physical or emotional - in someone else’s space.
Values establish a kind of “leash” on human behavior. If someone is raised with a clear system of values, then he or she will tend to be bound by the behavioral limitations inherent in that value system. For example, if you are raised to value truth and honesty, you will not lie. If you lie, it is because you do not value truth and honesty more than your reasons for lying.
If you are raised to value your health, you will not eat or drink foods and liquids that are unhealthy. If you do eat unhealthy foods and drinks, it is because you do not value your health more than your reasons for imbibing unhealthy substances.
If you are raised to value right ruling more than money and position, then you will not sacrifice justice for wealth or power. If you do sacrifice justice for wealth or power, then you do not value right ruling more than wealth or power.
These are not judgments on my part about the choices you make, but rather reflect an observational formula that fits any situation.
Values represent a leash on humans who, without a system of values, tend to do anything and everything they feel like doing. Without values, humans are nothing more than mindless animals, leaving their droppings wherever and whenever they want.
Valueless people also tend to be highly susceptible to behavioral manipulation by others, unscrupulous people seeking for themselves control of all wealth and power.
Our Founding Fathers established a constitutional Republic, suitable for a just and moral people and unsustainable for all others. In order for our system of self-governance to last, the people so governed must be of a very high character, operating within the confines of a clear system of morals and values, one that respects the natural rights to life, liberty and property that inherently belong to all people. Only the parameters of a just and moral system of values can ensure the sustainability of a country whose government is servant to the people. Only a system of ethics and universal justice can protect the sovereign rights of the people. Only a system of morals whereby truth and freedom are highly valued can produce a lasting society in which all citizens enjoy the inherent rights to life, liberty and property.
Values define the structure within which humans can become more than human, approaching and ultimately achieving their heritage as children of God.
Brent Johnson is Director of Freedom Bound International, a common law service center dedicated to the preservation of personal freedom, privacy rights and the Declaration of Independence. He may be reached at 1-888-385-FREE or on-line at www.freedomradio.us.
