Six Types of Human Values

Human beings need different things to live in thisand each country is sovereign and independent.
world. However, nothing in this world is available freeHowever, in recent years the countries have started
of cost. Everything has a price and one has to paybehaving like family members as the independence is
the right price to get ones need satisfied. However,gradually being replaced by interdependence in the
we value the things based on our needs and theglobalize economies. If China is emerging as the
needs depends on the basis of our value system.manufacturing hub of the world, India has become
First, there are basic necessities like food, water, air,the outsourcing and out-shoring hub of the world
shelter, and clothing without which survival of thefrom where the different services are being provided
body itself is not possible. However, once theseto the world. Arab world is producing oil for the world
necessities are satisfied, man moves to satisfy hisand USA has taken the leadership role in creation of
higher needs like the social needs, security needs orthe knowledge and the Information Technology for
the need of self-actualization.the world. Each country is gradually becoming
However, every person does not follow the samespecialist in some specific task and getting the rest
path as his path would depend on the inherent valuesof the requirements fulfilled from the other countries
of the person. These inherent values are acquired byof the world.
the man by virtue of his nature and also by hisThus, just like individuals and families have to
nurture. The effect of the family, society, nation andcompete with and complement each other for their
individual makes every person unique as he developssurvival in a society, each nation has to compete with
a unique set of values. These values decide theand complement with the other countries of the
priority and lifestyle of the person. The values makeworld. In order to make the nation stronger, certain
the personality of the person and decide the growthtypes of values need to be cultivated in their citizen
of the individual, family, society, nation and thewhich makes the country not made of millions or
humanity.billions of individuals or families but like one family.
1. Individualistic ValuesBy virtue of independence, every country develops
The most inherent value of a person is individualisticcertain values which keep on evolving with time. The
which means valuing the self over anything else invalues of a nation represent its tradition, history and
the world. This is also the most natural value which isexperiences of its people since its creation. The
inherent in every animal of the world. The animals livevalues of India and China are many thousands of
for themselves without much bothering about theyears old while the values of the newly created
other animals. The only exception would be thenations like USA, Israel, Australia, and Pakistan are
mother animal which takes care of her child animal tillquite new.
the child grows up sufficiently to support itself.The national values are often codified in their laws
The modern world has been moving more and morethat seek to grant equality and justice to all its
towards individualistic values where the interest ofcitizens. There, is wide diversity in these laws as the
the individual is considered to be the most "right" andrequirement of each country is different. The
needs to be protected over everything else. Theviolation of national values is treated criminal acts
individualistic value support freedom as it believeswhich are punished by the State. Thus the countries
that every person has the right to decide what iswith strong national values enforce their laws very
good for him.severely as they keep the interest of the country
Every child starts with individualistic values and heover the interest of the individual.
wants everything in the world for the self and wants5. Moral Values
everyone to serve him. When the need of the childWhile the legal values of a country or society is
is not satisfied, he cries and do everything to get thedocumented and enforced, these are insufficient for
need satisfied.the smooth functioning of the state. The ideal state
2. Family Valuesis one where the State does not have to enforce
The human specie may be the most powerful specieany law as the citizens voluntarily follow the laws of
in the earth but it is also true that human specie isthe land. However, this rarely happens since all the
also the weakest specie. A human child does notState laws are drafted by the people who are in
learn to even walk for one year. If the child of thepower or those who have influence on powerful
man is allowed to survive of its own, it just can notpeople. These powerful people ensure that laws are
survive. The support of family is must for thedrafted in their favour of few rather than in the
growth of every human child. It is for this reasonfavour of the masses. Thus over a period of time,
that human specie over the year has invented thethe enforcement of laws creates a class of people
concept of family that lives like one unit and supportswho are extremely powerful and rich while the
a new born child till it becomes strong enough tomajority population live the life of haplessness and
support itself.poverty.
The concept of family has given rise to the familyHowever, the disparity and injustice created by law is
value where a family is considered to be the basiclargely reduced due to the prevalence of the moral
unit of the society instead of the individual. Thevalues in the society which need not to be codified in
family has right and power to control the otherthe statute books. Yet the moral values are passed
member of the family. In a family system, theon from one generation to another by tradition. For
members of the family divide their work in a wayexample, the sanctity of the institution of marriage in
that all members perform complementary functionsIndia has kept the divorce rate to the minimum
rather than performing same functions. For example,despite having the provision of divorce in the law
father earns the livelihood and protects the familybooks like any other western country. The moral
being the strongest member of the family. Thelaws are enforced jointly by the society. As every
mother takes care of the family by cooking food,man desires to be loved and respected by the
cleaning house and rearing children. The children onsociety, the moral values are often more powerful to
their part get these benefits free of cost from theirkeep the man on the right path than the legal
parents but they have the family obligation toenforcement.
provide the same benefits to their children. Thus the6. Spiritual Values
family ensures the continuity of the value andAll values adopted by men create exclusivity in
tradition of the family.human beings as these values are different for every
In the family system, the interest of each membersociety and indeed for every man. The values are
of the family is protected through an unwritten lawthus the source of conflicts in the world as every
as love and trust alone govern the management of aperson or nation believes strongly in their values as
family. The parents do not seek any personal benefitright. Yet all these values are non-permanent and
when they give something to their children. Thetransient which changes with time and space. The
children too recognize the contributions made by thevalues of the present generation are not same as
parents in building their lives and they not only passthe value of the previous generation.
on the same benefits to their own children but alsoYet there is some ingredient in all values that never
take care of their parents when they grow old.changes. It has remained same in long years of
The entire system of family value is maintained byhuman evolution. These values are eternal as they
tradition and trust.never change. Therefore, often people call such
However, when family values are strong, it results invalues as spiritual or divine as it never dies and its
the reduction of individual freedom and decline in theorigin too is not known.
individual values. Every person has to think for theThese are the spiritual values.
family first and the self as secondary. This often killsThe spiritual values are often attributed to God and
the creativity of the man as he is never free to thinkcalled divine. The spiritual values include love,
as an individual.compassion, justice, truth etc. It is the nature of the
3. Professional Valuesman to imbibe these values irrespective of his religion,
A society is made of not only families which arerace, culture or nationality. These values are so
natural but also by origination which are artificiallyuniversal that all human beings seem to understand it
created to fulfill a specific requirement of the society.without being taught.
The government is one of the most importantThe spiritual values unite all human beings on this
organizations which had been created to bring orderworld. It is due to these spiritual values that we want
in the society. The government is further divided intojustice and can not see injustice in this world. The
different departments like police, revenue, defensefeelings of love and compassion cut across all barriers
etc which are needed to keep the country unitedof religion, race and nationalities. The spiritual values
and protect it from external aggression. There arecan not be eliminated from man and these are
many other organizations which are run by privateuniversal.
persons or bodies which produce goods and provideThe Conflict of Values
service to the people of the nation and the world.No person can have only one set of values and all
Every person has to join an origination to earn hishuman beings are governed by the combination of all
livelihood and to contribute to the society. Thesevalues. However, the dominating value in every
organizations are designed to serve a specializedperson is different which arises due to the birth in a
function of the society and thus need a set of valueparticular family, culture, religion or nationality. The
to keep all members of the organization motivatedvalues also change with the age of the person as the
and united.same person transforms from individual to a family
Thus man develops a set of values due to hisman. When a person grows up and earns his living, he
profession. The values of a police official are differenthas to work in some profession where his
than the values of a judge or a politician. Eachprofessional values are developed. The national values
profession has its own set of values which oftentoo get ingrained in the person due to the common
contradict the values of another profession. Yetvalue shared by the citizens. However, as the men
these values are necessary to keep the professionalsgrow older, they tend to become spiritual and
united and deliver what is expected from them.develop spiritual values. Thus all six values are always
4. National Valuesprevalent in every society that keeps the society
The world today is divided into a number of countriesmoving and united.