Happy New Year!

 

Abraham Lincoln, the great humanitarian who steered the United States through one of its most turbulent periods, once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one”. These simple words continue to resonate even as we stand at the threshold of 2026. 

To “be a good one”, is as easy as is not. First, it calls for integrity — integrity in everything that we do. But many a time, in our hurry to succeed, we either miss this simple truth or, we may even deliberately shun it off, under the plea that it’s a onetime affair. But, it seldom stops at it. 

To “be good” is to live meaningfully.  What does ‘meaningfully’ mean?  It means a lot—it calls for aligning one’s daily actions with core personal values. This leads to another question: what are values?

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the term ‘Value’ as the ‘worth, desirability, or utility of a thing’. According to sociologist, Michael Haralambos (2004), value is ‘a belief that something is good and desirable. It defines what is worth having and worth striving for’.

Values are subtle and are reflected in the behavior of people. In a broad sense, they are what people choose as worthwhile to observe. In other words, a value represents a judgment of an individual about certain things as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘important’ or ‘unimportant’. So, value is that quality of an individual that makes him/her important, respectful and useful in society.

Values represent a specific mode of conduct or end state of existence that is personally or socially preferable. Values are deep-seated ideas and feelings that manifest themselves as behavior or conduct. The true reflection of one’s values is his/her action (Paliwal, 2006, p. 23).

Values are unwavering and enduring. They represent the foundation of a person’s character. Moreover, they are the abstract version of what people believe to be right. They guide what actions are proper and meaningful for individuals to pursue. Also, values have intensity which explains how important they are. When an individual experiences his/her values becoming internal, they also become part of his/her character. Moreover, his/her actions become impulsive and constant and intuitive (Hannah et al., 2016).

Values are socially approved desires and goals that are internalized through the process of conditioning, learning or socialization and that become subjective preferences, standards and aspirations (Mukherjee, 1969). Intrinsic values such as goodness, virtue, beauty, honesty, truth and love of mankind are indeed known to satisfy the deeper cravings of the ‘spiritual self’ rather than the economic and utilitarian demand of the ‘bodily self’.

According to sociologists, values mean “the generalized end which has the connotations of rightness, goodness or inherent desirability”. They are the beliefs or ideals shared by members of a culture about what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable.

Values are recognized as a driving force in ethical decision making. This phenomenon can be best illustrated by an incident from the Rāmāyana. Vibhīshana, on deserting his brother Rāvana, approaches Sugriva and his army, saying, “Mighty monkeys, I am the brother of Rāvana, known as Vibhīshana, have now come to seek Rāma’s refuge. Please convey the news of my arrival to that great man” (VI.17.12-17). 

On hearing about Vibhīshana’s request, Rāma seeks the opinion of all the other monkey lords over the issue before arriving at a decision. Having heard and pondered over the submission of all his colleagues that Vibhīshana must be viewed with suspicion in every way, Rāma announces his decision to grant asylum to Vibhīshana, citing his own reasons thus: “In the name of humanity one should not strike even an enemy arrived at one’s door and piteously soliciting protection with joined palms (VI.18.27). 

As guided by the pious counsel of sage Kandu, my “ētad vratam the solemn vow is: sakṛdēva prapannāya tavā asm īti ca yācatē / abhayam sarva bhūtebhyo dadāmi … (6-18:33) I vouchsafe security against all living beings to him who comes to me only once and seeks protection from me, saying ‘I am yours’”. 

It is this strong value system that led Rāma to grant asylum to the brother of the arch-enemy, Rāvana. 

Now, reverting to our desire to “to be good”, we may have to reflect regularly to check if our actions match our values. Let us make small, daily choices that reflect what we care about and truly experience life rather than simply getting through it. Nevertheless, leading a life of “being good” is not the end; rather it is a journey. Once, the idea —‘to be good’—gets internalised, our actions automatically fall in line. Then, ‘to be good’ becomes a way of life.   

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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