My deepest moral values tell me that I need to focus my life on being a good person. This includes not hurting other people, through violence or mean-spirited behavior. I believe that my body is a temple and I should treat it accordingly by taking care of it through nutrition, exercise, and not being promiscuous. I know that it is important to be honest, though not brutally honest. There are times where it is more important to spare a person’s feelings than to tell them the truth about something that doesn’t matter in the long run. I was taught these values by my parents and through my religious upbringing, but through my teenage years, I made these values my own.
I believe that most people agree that hurting other people is wrong and that one should not be too sexually free with themselves. Many people will say that it is wrong to gossip, but these are usually the same people who are either spreading it or listening to it. Society as a whole also ignores this guideline; this is made obvious by the fact that the television news contains many items of celebrity gossip rather than important news stories. Unfortunately, too many people fall back on mean behavior when they are afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Many of my peers grew up with the same values about sex, but most of them don’t live up to the standards they claim to have set for themselves. I have noticed that few people are willing to take a non-violent approach to conflict, nor are they able to resist the lure of gossip or other hurtful behavior.
My values have changed a bit over time. When I was younger, I didn’t understand how wrong it was to gossip and to make fun of other people just because everyone else was doing it. As I am only 21 years old, the rest of my values haven’t been tested just yet. I believe that the next ten years will determine the kind of person I am.
