When the radiant yellow sun has set and dark grey clouds dominate your skies; when the cruel winds blow away every last shard of happiness; when you’re stranded in the dark with the wild ocean up to your neck, who are you? I am my values.
As a ‘Jain’ (ancient religion) girl from India, I’ve had my fair share of visits to the temple. Once, as a cranky seven-year-old, I started throwing a tantrum in the silent chambers of the temple. In hopes of hushing my outburst, my grandmother handed me a mesmerising necklace made of crystal beads. She instructed me to slowly touch every bead and recite three magical words that she referred to as ‘the three jewels’: ‘samyadarhsan’ (right faith), ‘samyajnana’ (right knowledge) and ‘samyakcharitr’ (right conduct). Seven year old me was more than thrilled to have some significant role to play whilst in the temple but what I didn’t know was that these words would reappear countless times in my life; like a guiding light, they would dictate my way of seeing the world, my way of treating others, my way of overcoming obstacles and most importantly, my way of contributing to our society.
Whenever I sit down to make goals, these three words without fail echo in my head. Recently, I gave my board exams and every time I would sit down to study all I would hear were the awakening jingles of: ‘samyadarhsan’ (right faith) – I must be determined to succeed, not give up and remain focused on what I have to achieve; ‘samyajnana’ (right knowledge) – I must be well rehearsed with what I am learning and ensure I am aware of the correct exam dates; ‘samyakcharitr’ (right conduct) – I must stick to a realistic schedule, adhere to deadlines and remain honest no matter what. My values guided me through this journey whilst keeping me motivated, knowledgeable and focused.
In schools, we learn that souls are limited to living organisms that perform the seven life processes – movement, respiration, sensitivity, nutrition, excretion, growth and reproduction, but my religion believes that everything in our universe (living or nonliving) has a breathing soul. Our universe obeys an eternal cycle – today, the particles that are a lump of coal, several universes later may form the cells of a living being. From an early age, my values have taught me that all in the world is equal and everything should be given its due respect. These values have flowed from my elders to me like a chain reaction. For example, my grandmother’s values live in the way she wraps her precious jewellery in cotton like a wounded soldier; my mother’s values reflect in the way she keeps her kitchen spotless like it’s her flower garden; my values shine when I take care of my books like they’re my pet dog.
Unlike most things in life, values cannot be seen or touched, they can only be felt through one’s actions – they’re intangible. You can lose your phone, your money, your keys but you can’t lose your values. Values are the little voice in your head that warns you before you make a mistake. Values are the roots that keep you grounded. Values are the ladder that climb step-by-step to reach success. When we put our values to action we define our character; every character is a unique combination of different values and every unique combination leaves a fresh mark on our world. What mark do you choose to make?
In the world we live in today, from the widespread coronavirus to the Russia-Ukraine war, we now need to resort to our values more than ever. If our society is composed of us, and we are composed of our values, then surely our society single-handedly thrives on our values. Bathed in my values, I hope to create a society where we fight for the ethical cause (right faith), equipped with the correct facts and figures (right knowledge), and battle in a lawful manner (right conduct). Only then can we forge a fair, loving, self-sustained and peaceful world for everyone!
