Last One Standing

[ljgeoff]

We're discussing ethics in my Practical Nursing class, and we had an exercise today. You can play, too!

From the following list of values, pick your top five. Now, out of those five, star the two most important to you.

Peace

Wealth

Happiness

Success

Friendship

Fame

Authenticity

Power

Influence

Justice

Integrity

Joy

Love

Recognition

Family

Truth

Wisdom

Status

"All done? Okay, everyone stand up. Now, someone in the top row, would you tell me what one of your stared values? Family? Everyone who has "Family" as one of their five values, please sit. (half sit) Now, over here -- one of your stared values? Truth? Everyone who has "Truth" as one of their top five values, please sit. (almost everyone sits. three left standing) Okay, how about over here? Happiness? Sit, if "Happiness" is one of your top five values."

And I was the only one left standing. My picks were:

Peace Joy Love Integrity* Wisdom*

(how about you?)

Comments

[clawfoot.livejournal.com]

My five:

Peace
Happiness
Integrity*
Love*
Family

It was hard, though. I was able to justify some of my choices by thinking, "Well, I consider my friends to be family, so it's okay if I leave off 'Friendship,' because they're included in 'Family' anyway," and the same for "Family" and "Love," because I'm close to my family not because they're my family but because I love them. Family I don't love I don't consider family.

And wow, was it ever a hard choice between "Peace" and "Integrity." What won the latter over the former was that I couldn't be happy living in peacetime if I had to sacrifice my integrity for it. As horrible as it is, some wars simply have to be fought.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Datapoint: My brain doesn't work this way. I wouldn't have any idea where to start, and staring at it for longer doesn't help.

[ljgeoff.livejournal.com]

*grin* So, would you have stayed sitting?

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Hmm. If I'd been put on the spot, here's what I probably would've done. (Keep in mind that I dislike exercises of the "stand and be counted" sort.) (Also, I'm wondering what the value was that left you standing.)

I would probably have:

1) Taken the original list and cut out those that I either don't value highly or just don't care about. That leaves this list:

Peace
Happiness
Friendship
Authenticity
Justice
Integrity
Joy
Love
Family
Truth
Wisdom

2) Stood when she told everyone to stand

3) When she said, "Is family one of your [top five] stated values?" thought to myself, "Hmm, yes, probably, though I'm not sure I can rank these" and sat down.

[limnrix.livejournal.com]

Recognition Justice Joy* Truth* Wisdom

[audreylucero.livejournal.com]

Happiness
Love
Wisdom
Truth
Integrity

I put them in order of importance--and I'm seeing a pattern here--if Happiness is most important, then all the ones underneath are my means of attaining said happiness. I think. But again, it's really an oversimplification I think.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Hm. I couldn't pick. So I made my own list:

Making Things
Learning Things
Family-Of-The-Heart
Sharing Stuff
Music

I think Making Things is the top one, but it's a toss-up between Sharing Stuff and Family-Of-The-Heart for the other top one.

Am really, really surprised that Making Things, or Creativity, or even Meaningful Work did not appear on that list they gave you. Because that's where I start, I guess.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Though now that I think about it, all three of those fit under Joy for me. But then, so does Music.

[ljgeoff.livejournal.com]

The problem that I have with this thing is that we were supposed to be talking ethics, and I don't see a lot of the things on the lists as "values" -- some of them are "things of value," like Family, and Wealth. If one defined "value" as a principle or moral value, what would be left on the list? I'm not even sure of Joy or Love would make the cut, unless you took it in a Christ/Buddha-like way as living joyfully and loveingly.

[firecat]

Friendship
Integrity
Joy
Truth*
Wisdom*

[julia-reynolds.livejournal.com]

I'm with firecat all the way. In personal life, I think Peace is way over-rated. Strife and struggle are much more productive ;-) .

But for society as a whole, it is definitely true that there is no peace without justice.