over time I think I've adapted a sort of question everything and dont take anything anyone says for absolute way of interacting with the world. basically to always trust the answer you find looking inside yourself over what anything or anyone else tells you.

the only only only thing that I could solely completely base all my values around would be nature. Nature does it all and has it all, not just in theory but in practice. It is a continual expression of the most perfect harmonious network of energy over space and time. It contains deepest mysteries and holds untold futures and is to me the absolute holiest and most sacred of all forces. It literally is THE event.

we as humans are connected to it because we came out of it and we can look towards it for answers, towards ourselves...

I hate thinking of trying to organize concepts like personal and cultural values, because I hate the idea that those things, which many people live by, are often based something arbitrary. It then becomes something that prevents one from looking at things clearly and judging things for what they are.

those kind of things eventually become dirty filters that greatly diminish the real glory and gift of life everywhere.

I am still cleaning myself of those things, but each day life becomes more and more miraculous.

'the only only only thing that I could solely completely base all my values around would be nature'

I'd agree with this but coming from the capital of England being raised in a pent up city full of hate , greed and anger aswell as love, compassion & joy I have now learned to value everything around myself.

I enjoy camping alot as it takes me out too nature and learn so much when I am taken out off this environment but at the same time I am learning so much within this environment.

Things are only dirty is you see them as dirty...

I wonder where you draw the line as to what is nature and what is not. Are you talking about biological entities such as plants, amoeba, animals as a whole?

Personally I find it ever more difficult to differentiate us and what we have created from nature. It is just a very different kind of form that the nature of our existence has put forth. We as humans are part of the ecosystem, no? So are our cities, even though it may seem as though we are trying to lock out uncontrolled growth of other organisms - but this is not uncommon in nature either. Animals have cities (ant hills, bee hives,...) yet they are considered nature too.
All of our pollution also originally comes from this planet and its nature too (that doesn't make it better, but to say it is unnatural I find a bit strange). Everything man has made has been made by nature, because we are nature.

My values come from empathy and compassion and communication. I believe in development and that improving is always possible so my values are also based on this. I believe in natural hierarchies (including developmental ones). This automatically means the higher levels are more valued than the lower ones in a sense, though keeping with an integral approach they are not less important.... in fact they are fundamental to the emergence of the higher ones...

in any case. values are great to create together through communication - what does this group/this culture/this society value? How can we shift these values..? etc.

cheers

That's a very good point. I've never thought of it like that. I guess cities, roads and all of the stuff man's built is nature too. Still, we take it too far and cause damage to the rest of nature that is totally unnecessary, we are out of balance with the rest of the ecosystem.

Edit: Oh yea, and about values, I'm not really sure where I get my values from. I guess it's mostly from life experience, meeting people, observing how myself and others have behaved in the past and deciding how I think is the right way to be (which I still have'nt worked out!). So I don't really have any 1 specific source for any values I have

I agree, balance is key.

I dream of a future in which we will integrate into the ecosystem in such a way that it maximises profit for all of it. Using algae for energy, using plants and natural material for climate control in our buildings, growing food in the places where we live, creating habitats for other animals as well... oh well. it's a nice dream.

Nature is certainly informs my sense of ethics, but like Enoon, compassion probably forms the central axis of my values.

Compassion is present in nature, but is most recognizably present in human beings. Creatures other than humans rarely show compassion or empathy, simply look at the way predators engage prey. Predators (other than human) do not concern themselves with the amount of pain that they inflict, and can even seem cruel to a human observer. Herbivores don't eschew killing out of a sense of consideration, but out of their own biological imperatives.

I would go so far as to say that one of the only beautiful things to come out of human abstract thought is compassion. It is a gift that defines us as a species, though it makes us no more special or important than any other creature on this planet.

I find the intrinsic balance of nature to be the basic
Foundation of my value system .
Also a form of spiritually as well .
All the lessons seem to be right in front of our eyes at all times .

When I read the thread title I thought about what experiences were it that formed our values, and not what are our values. I guess as for base, it has to do with my caring family, with my psychedelic experiences, with a few key experiences in life that brought perspective and learning (travelling, some hard experiences, etc) and maybe also with who I am before personality and experience, like something that came with me when I was born (soul?).

In any case right now I think my main values could be summed up in:

1- Dont do to others as you wouldnt like to be done to you
2- If it improves health and awareness/inner development, whether its personal or collective, go for it, if its against it, avoid it at all costs.
3- Sustainability (thinking of impact of my actions on the world/nature and others, alive or of future generations)


By the way, regarding nature being the model, first of all yeah I agree with enoon's point. But more than that, I think we should not follow nature blindly, because there is a lot of problematic behavior with animals too. I mean, the Orcas throwing and playing with seals before killing them, for example, how's that for value inspiration? Or whatever other hundreds of examples we can think of.

I think that moral values essentially are a deep innate thing everybody has. Even if you would be raised without them, you would still devellop a sense of morality at some point in your life.
The only exceptions are those where childeren are realy being taught to be and behave in an anti-moral way, like in warzone's or getto's. People there have a sense of morality as well, but often a very twisted and disturbed morality, like a blind and total loyalty to a very specific group of people.

Nature allows us to be here, we need the utmost respect for it, and to say that a city devoid of plants, animals, and full of pollution is "nature" isn't my idea of nature. Like Joe Rogan say's, that shits cancer. As for values, most are instilled by my parents, experiences, and nature.

1. Don't initiate force.
2. Keep your word.

Quote: Michael W. Dean