Some of us wake up every day and read or watch the news and barely recognize the world we live in. And some of us never read anything and only watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians or The Bachelor or other drivel and are totally clueless about the world we live in.
Is all of what I've said here a series of broad, sweeping generalizations? Of course! But that doesn't make the statements any less true. They don't apply to everyone but they apply to more than enough. I recognize there are exceptions to each of these points. Not all leaders, families, businesses, schools, or government officials are a mess. But those are the exception and not the rule. I hope you are one of the exceptions to every one of the statements I've made. However, whether you are the exception to these statements or whether you are the epitome of one of these statements, you are going to have to admit that I'm right: things are a mess!
To be very, very clear: I am not saying that nothing is going right. I am not ignoring or discounting all of the good in the world. I see it. I acknowledge it. I applaud it. But that is not what this book is about. This book is not about what is going right. This book is about what is going wrong and what we must do to fix it. I am a firm believer that it is impossible to fix a problem unless you recognize and identify your issue as a problem, then go to work to fix it.
And we are already making some efforts to fix these things. But I believe that for the most part, we are going about fixing things backward. We are working at fixing things from the outside in. That rarely works and it is typically a temporary fix at best. You almost always create long-term change when you fix things from the inside out. But that requires more time and energy and sweat than most people are willing to invest.
We are building walls around our country to keep the bad guys out. And while I think that is a fine idea, we have bad guys we have created right here that are doing us just as much harm simply because parents are teachers and society didn't take the time to do the work to teach people that valuing life and respecting others and not committing crimes is a better way to live.
We are also building walls around our personal beliefs, ideals, biases, and prejudices. We create safe zones to protect us from the harmful words of others, instead of teaching people to be strong enough to withstand harmful words and kind enough not to say harmful words. To make matters worse, we have redefined a harmful word to mean anything you don't agree with. And while I agree that our individual rights should be protected, it seems that we only want protection for our rights, not the rights of anyone who disagrees with us.
We don't allow kids to play tag, hide-and-seek, or other games – or in some cases even have outside recess because they might get hurt. Or worse, their feelings might get hurt. We have even gone so far in some cities as to pay criminals not to commit crimes. Again, this is just an external solution to an internal problem. How about letting kids know that you don't always get picked and when you play, sometimes you get hurt. How about teaching people not to be criminals instead of rewarding them for being a criminal.
Our outer world is collapsing and needs to be fixed, no doubt about it. But as the old saying goes, “As within, so without.” Our outer world is only a reflection of our inner world. Our outer world is a mess because we are a mess.
I do believe we are facing the collapse of society, but it won't be because of the government, the liberals, the conservatives, ISIS, foreign enemies, the economy, obesity, cigarettes, drugs, or any other external factor. Our society will collapse if we continue to let our core values collapse. We have to fix the issues I am going to discuss in this book. However, here is the problem:
People typically only take action to fix their problem when it's damn near too late.
My goal is that people read this book, realize how bad things are, and decide to take action to fix things before it's too late.
CHAPTER ONE
THE COLLAPSE OF CORE VALUES
When I want to figure out what something is, I often begin by figuring out what it isn't. That's how I determined the definition of what a core value is for this book.
In researching the definitions of core values, I discovered what others have expressed to be their core values. I looked at what various companies and organizations and individuals said their core values were. I saw lots of words like teamwork, passion, enthusiasm, punctuality, safety, fun, flexibility, ethics, love, creativity. These are all fine words, but none are core values.
These words might be principles for your life or business to practice. Some are simply ideals. Some are just nice things to say on your company website for your customers to read. But they are not core values by my definition.
Core values are different from traditional values. The idea of traditional values has been hijacked by various political and religious groups using those words to promote their particular beliefs. You won't find any of those things mentioned here. For me, core values run deeper.
So for more help on what a core value is, I went to some of the published definitions:
According to yourdictionary.com, the definition of core value is:
The core values are the guiding principles that dictate behavior and action. Core values can help people to know what is right from wrong; they can help companies to determine if they are on the right path and fulfilling their business goals; and they create an unwavering and unchanging guide.
According to BusinessDictionary.com, the definition of core value is:
A principle that guides an organization's internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world.
On the website for the National Park Service, they answer the question, “What are core values?” with these words:
Core values are not descriptions of the work we do or the strategies we employ to accomplish our mission. The values underlie our work, how we interact with each other, and which strategies we employ to fulfill our mission. The core values are the basic elements of how we go about our work. They are the practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do.
I also like The Four-Way Test of Rotary International from rotary.org:
The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:
Of the things we think, say, or do
• Is it the truth?
• Is it fair to all concerned?
• Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”
These definitions are more closely aligned with my views. I especially like the idea that core values create unwavering and unchanging guides that determine everything we do.
I contend that most people haven't spent much time determining the unwavering, unchanging guides that direct everything they do. For the most part, neither have most businesses. Or most churches. Or most schools. Neither has society.
To be clear, I'm not talking about rules or regulations. And I'm not talking about laws. There is no shortage of rules, regulations, or laws and we are still in a mess. So, obviously, the fix to our problems is not more laws for society or rules and regulations for our businesses. It has to go deeper.
What are your core values? Have you ever given it much thought? Do you even know where to start?
Stuff bothers me. Sometimes, stuff bothers me a lot! As you read this book, that fact will become completely evident to you. But here is something I firmly believe:
It's