Principles, Values, and Thought-Adjustment

What is the difference between principles and values?

Aren’t they the same?

How are they different?

Can something be both a principal and a value?

I’ve found myself asking these questions on several occasions

Furthermore, I still happen to get them mixed up

As with all I write, it is not merely to share information with others

Writing allows me to reinforce certain concepts within myself

It also provides the opportunity to reflect, question, and consider new paradigms  

Today, I found my own view changing as I wrote

The perspective I share now, is not a mirror-image of my view this morning

It has shifted throughout the process of writing

Principles, Values, and my own Thought-Adjustment

Think of Principles as Universal Truths

They are grounded in forces outside of our direct control

Principles exists, regardless of our acknowledgement of them

We inherently recognize principles, but that does not mean we must choose to follow them

Principles do not change with time

They are in fact, enduing  

I write this with a sense of dissonance, as it can seem contradictory to the belief that  Impermanence is Constant

Perhaps that that thesis needs revision, and I will attempt to adjust my own thinking

As John Maynard Keynes said,

“When the facts change, I change my mind - what do you do, sir?”

While everything we experience within life changes, principles remain

They operate outside the influence of time,

They operate outside the influence of time, outside of our influence

As this thought contradicts the idea that everything is continuously changing, I now find that the combination of these ideas together to serve more purpose than their separate existence

It is BECAUSE the universe is constantly expanding, our lives are constantly changing, the world remains constantly in motion, we can look to the timeless nature of principles to provide a sense of security

An anchor of sorts

With so much external change, we can look to principles to keep us steady

Life requires constant chaos to exist, and principles provide an antidote to that

Included below is an excerpt in the 7-Habits that Covey himself borrowed

Take a few minutes to read this story from Frank Kock

It was originally written in Proceedings, the magazine of the Naval Institute:

Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days.

I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell.

The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.

Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing of the bridge reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow."

"Is it steady or moving astern?" the captain called out.

Lookout replied, "Steady, captain," which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship. 

The captain then called to the signal man, "Signal that ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees."

Back came a signal, "Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees."

The captain said, "Send, I'm a captain, change course 20 degrees."

"I'm a seaman second class," came the reply. "You had better change course 20 degrees."

By that time, the captain was furious.

He spat out, "Send, I'm a battleship. Change course 20 degrees."

Back came the flashing light, "I'm a lighthouse."

We changed course

As Covey goes onto say,

“Principles are like lighthouses. They are natural laws that cannot be broken.”

He goes on to quote Cecil B. DeMille in the movie The Ten Commandments, as he obsersved,

"It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law."

Principles are not our values, they exist whether we value them or not

Values are ideals or beliefs that we give importance to

Our values are more individualistic than principles

What you deem of value is influenced by your upbringing, your life experiences, and how you see yourself 

Loyalty, generosity, patience, and tolerance are examples of values

We have the ability to choose our own values

They don’t have to be positive traits

A mob has a set of shared values, all of them may not be morally correct

Certain groups value intolerance

Consider the Nazi Party or the KKK

When a collective of people decide to value inhumane ideals,

The results can be devastating

Preferably, we learn to value principles

Those ethical truths that have led to cultural, material, and human progress

Principles that push individuals and communities to make the right choices

Actions speak louder than words

Do the right thing when no one is looking

Two wrongs don’t make a right

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Lead by Example

These are principles, but we have the choice to give them value

It is up to us to give meaning to these principles

To live our lives actualizing them

Your values really do not matter until they are tested

You can preach to do the right thing, but sharing and living our values is not the same

You can say, “Integrity over profits”

But when you are actually faced with that situation, how do you respond?

Are you willing to do the right thing for your customer?

Despite the personal cost

It is much easier to lay claim to principled values,

Then it is to actualize them

Our true character isn’t how we carry ourselves when the sun is shining

It is how we respond in the face of stormy weather

That is when your values are tested….

In the face of conflict, you must decide what you are really about

Working to live a Principle-Centered-Life is something I believe we should all strive towards  

It is idealistic, but it gives us a north-star to look for

It provides an anchor in the face of of an ever-changing world

The aim is not perfection, but the pursuit of progress on a daily basis

The next time you are faced with a tough choice, consider this

What is your frame of reference for making your decision?

What do you really value?

Are those the same values you want to hold moving forward?

Emmerson said, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say”

Living out our values takes courage

Every choice comes at a cost

We have to be willing to stand up for what we believe in

To say no to what is convenient, in order to do what we know is right

I believe that cost to be worth it

You can have everything in the world

But without internal peace of mind

What’s it all worth?

Maybe there is some permanence in life?

Principles could be the anchor you’ve been searching for

When you live based on principles,

As all else changes,

Your inner-core endures

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