Where are our values in 2024?
Jun 09, 2024
What are the items in our life that have the most value to start our New Year? OK, sure, there is money but what value can that money bring us?
I think the items in life that have the greatest value are the items that bring us happiness. Can money buy happiness? According to Spike Milligan, “Money can’t buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.”
Are our prejudices a form of expressing our misery? If we do not have money, or some form of happiness, do we invest in the pain of others to self-justify our misery instead of creating true value?
A couple of my close friends told me they were on their way to a meeting a few months ago and, while sitting in the right lane at a traffic stop, the light turned green, and the vehicle in front of them took off and quickly moved into the left lane in front of another car and hit their brakes. My friends thought, why would someone do that?
The vehicle that was next to them at the traffic stop then had to quickly hit their brakes hard to avoid hitting the vehicle that pulled in front of them. Don’t we just hate when that happens?
They said that the vehicle then continued down the road in the left lane at a slower rate of speed. They said their first thought was to pull up next to the vehicle and ask them why they did that! They were thinking that the actions of that driver were unacceptable.
But then, they thought, what value is there in becoming involved in a situation where there was no physical damage and no one was hurt? If they asked that driver why it happened, were they thinking they were going to truly cause that same driver to think through their actions and become a better driver just because they asked them why?
No one was hurt in the incident. There was no damage to any of the vehicles. Maybe, just maybe, the person that was driving erratically was lost and knew they had to turn left in a short distance and wanted to be in the left lane when the street they were searching for was near and they could easily turn on the correct city street?
Luckily, it was a situation where the higher value was received for everyone involved and the anger and hate were eliminated or managed.
But, in many newspapers and television news stations, we see incident after incident where someone’s anger and hate turns into rage. I just searched the internet for “road rage incidents in December 2023” and every major news network displayed articles on road rage incidents.
Where is the value? Where do they gain anything of any value from their anger or hate?
Why does someone want to fight another because of what is usually just a minor mistake with no physical damage occurring? What item in their life is losing any value because of some other driver’s mishap?
Is someone finding a prejudice because of the other person’s action or appearance? Is there a loss of value to one person because of the other person’s age, education, race, gender, nationality, social status, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or other controversies that may arise from any misunderstood appearance?
We can let the items of lower value go, like a non-impacting road mishap, and be more Reality Focused on what truly matters. A more pleasant form of happiness without misery or money!
In 2024, let us roar for more of our core values. When we receive anything of value, our happiness can grow beyond what money can buy.
If you, or someone you know, would like to schedule Mark’s speech or learn more about Achieving Unity, please call Mark today at 303-362-8733 (303-Focused).