Moral Values and High Standards: Do You Want Them?
What makes a person have high morals, values, and standards?
Do you have people in your life who demonstrate high morals, values, and
standards? Do they seem happy? Do you consider them judgmental because you have
yet to obtain such high standards for your own life?
Real quick, here’s what Standard, Values, and Morals are,
Standard: A level or quality or attainment
Values: One's judgment of what’s important in life is enough
to control their behavior. Values help people prioritize what’s important.
Value is the perception that one considers something or someone to be
important.
Moral: A person's standard of behavior or beliefs concerning
what is and is not acceptable for them to do.
How does a person go about obtaining such high standards for
their life? Would you say because they practice self-worth? I want to say that
self-worth does not mean conceit, thinking oneself better than others, which
can lead to entitlement. In other words, those with high standards understand
that they have something to contribute to the world, which lower standards may
prevent them from giving. When a person knows their self-worth, it shows in how
they conduct themselves.
Doing what’s right demonstrates a person's moral values.
Life becomes easier when you “just do the right” thing without having to think
about it. A very simple example is that I don’t have enough money for a piece
of jewelry I would like, so I either don’t get it or save to obtain it. Never
does stealing cross my mind, or not paying someone I already owe money to, to get
something that doesn’t contribute any real substance to my life.
Would a person of high moral values ever be moved to do
something they thought they would never do? Possibly. Why? Because the
pressures of the life they are living become greater than they can handle. They
start to surround themselves with people who encourage them to lower their
standards, letting them know, It is okay, we do it. (whatever it is) And we
aren’t bad people. I once asked a friend's daughter, who was on heroin, why she
hung out with the people she did. Does she think they are looking out for her
best interest? This young lady had received scholarships right out of high
school and even a small inheritance, but all of it was spent on drugs. She told
me the reason she hangs out with them is that they want others to join them and
keep each other down, so they have each other to live with. Couch surfing and
homelessness are not places many people want to be. This is a sign of low
standards. I was stunned. REALLY? Your
group doesn’t want anyone to do better? Thankfully, she did get better and
stopped the heroin. Her standards moved up. Because her standard of living was far below
mine, even when I was her age, did I kick her or her mom to the curb? NO WAY. I
was there if I got a call from her mom, as she needed to vent, cry, and be
lifted in prayer. I was there to see her daughter at the hospital. Hearts
break, and God heals.
A few things can help you recognize a person with high moral
values and standards. They set boundaries on who and what they allow in their
life. If the standard is less than their own, they will not give in to it. They
are usually a person who takes care of themselves, physically, mentally, and
spiritually. They surround themselves with like-minded people who are
conscientious workers and take pride in contributing to society. They know that
by respecting themselves, this will attract respectable people. People with
high standards typically have a high credit score, as they are cautious about
incurring high debt. A person with high
standards can easily recognize those standards in others.
A person with high moral values may often struggle to
understand those with low moral values. They may frequently look at a person
with lower moral values and think, when bad things happen to them, “Well,
that’s what happens when your standards are low, what did you expect?” I
started writing this before the “Coldplay, kiss cam” fiasco. However, this is a
perfect example of lowering your standards when it comes to marriage. Precisely
what does one expect to happen when you cheat on your spouse? A person who has
high standards for themselves and their marriage would never have to suffer the
consequences and bring turmoil to their family. This is an excellent example of
how moral values and high standards keep you from problems that those without
them may encounter.
Let's look at a person who has high standards regarding
their diet. They often don’t have to worry about health issues that a person
who overeats and fills their body with foods lacking the necessary nutrients
for a healthy body may encounter. A person who has high standards as far as
what goes into their body may spend a lot less time at doctors' offices than
those with a low standard of what they eat.
How about what comes out of the mouth? A person with low
standards may have what people call “no filter”. They say whatever they are
thinking, no matter who it will hurt or how it will affect anyone else. The
person with higher standards would “never say that” or in a manner that a
person of low standards speaks. A person with higher values may not use curse
words in every sentence because they see it as uneducated. They have learned to
use other words to express the same thing without using “foul” language. A
person with low standards doesn’t care how they talk or how others speak to
them. A person with higher values cares about how they speak and are spoken to.
It comes back to respect. A person with higher values respects themselves and
will not want to be around people who aren’t respectful to themselves, which in
turn often leads them to be disrespectful towards anyone else. Often, a person
with lower moral values disrespects those with higher values because they
dislike their situation and feel judged. Would you agree? I’ve been there, and
if I could go back, I would choose the people who had higher values than I did
when it came to myself or my family. I let myself believe I was being or would
be judged by how I was living. That was on me, not the people with higher
standards. I didn’t want to be around them consistently because I was not ready
to live by the standards they were living by. They were some of the nicest
people I have ever known, but unfortunately, I was not as wise as I am today.
Let's go to the workplace now. Some companies have higher
standards than others. Again, I started writing this blog before the KissCam
scandal, and I'm glad I came back to it, as these are excellent examples of
what I’m writing about. If a company's standards are high, they will be hiring
those they believe can meet those standards. Look what happened when the
standard was not met:
Astronomer placed the CEO on leave and later
announced he had resigned, saying their leaders “are expected to set the standard in both conduct
and accountability and recently, that standard was not met.” Astronomer's Chief
Product Officer has stepped in as interim CEO.
I read this information on the pour over. I get emails from them about
what is happening in the world, and then they put a “God perspective from His
Word” to think about. You can subscribe to the news here…use my link
https://www.web.thepourover.org/subscribe?ref=GTWpKOfiMp
Suppose a company doesn’t want to hire me because,
after seeing my other places of employment, speaking with people who know me,
and looking at my social media, they decide my standards are not what they are
looking for, even if I am capable of the job. In that case, they have the right
not to hire me. I have one tattoo, where my wedding ring used to go. If a tattoo
shop is hiring, they may be looking for someone with a lot of tattoos, so I may
not be a good fit to work there. A restaurant has to have standards regarding
the cleanliness of the business, so they probably care about the cleanliness of
their workers. Some restaurants may be fine with employees who look as if they
just got up and didn’t have time to brush their hair or teeth. The standard of
bodily cleanliness may be lower than in other restaurants, and a person with
lower standards would be fine getting a job there. As we look at more examples,
you will start to see higher standards set you up for more opportunities with
greater value to oneself.
Is it wrong for people to have low standards for
themselves and zero moral values? I would say it’s a choice. Those with higher
standards should not look down upon those with lower standards, just as those
with lower standards should not look down upon those with higher standards and
moral values. Interesting to note that it’s not about rich or poor people when
it comes to higher standards. Some people would rather work hard and try to
obtain skills than compromise their bodies or health to make quick money. No
amount of cash can sway a person with high moral values. This brings up
contentment. They could not live with themselves, sleep well at night, or be
content day to day, compromising their values. Some of the wealthiest people
have compromised so much of themselves to get where they are. Maybe they are
truly content and happy. As I read some of the things on the court trial of P.
Diddy, I think of how so many of the things going on with that case would have
never happened if there were any moral values or high standards.
A person with high moral values and standards is
usually very content, whether they have a little or a lot materially. They
aren’t usually the type of people who are trying to “keep up with the Jones.”
Many times, people mean more to them than money or things. As mentioned above,
the lack of money will not drive a person who has standards and high moral
values to do anything to obtain cash,
Why does one have low standards or high standards?
Some people have never been exposed to people with high standards. Their family
lived with low standards, never showing them what life could be with higher
standards. Some families have shown higher standards, but life seemed more
exciting to live with lower standards, never attributing their downfall to the
lower standard they chose to live by.
One last example of what high standards can bring. A
good spouse. Someone who respects themselves and their bodies enough not to
smoke, do drugs, drink alcohol in excess, eat healthy, and maintain a healthy
body weight may set those standards for a spouse. I know when I was dating, I
would not date anyone who already had children, did drugs, slept with many
different people, dressed like a gangster, and used foul language. I dated an
alcoholic, not knowing he was an alcoholic. Once I figured it out, it only took
one time for that person to push me down when I said goodbye. I avoided a lot
of heartache and didn’t waste my time trying to change people or raise their
standards. I needed to stick by my standards to protect myself. Your high
standards can protect you and help you find a good spouse.
No matter if you have high standards or low standards,
no one is perfect. I’ve learned perfection is not obtainable on this earth, but
peace is.
Maybe you are tired of low standards in your life. Perhaps
you have disrespected yourself in the past. I don’t know where you are. You do.
What I do know is that change is always possible. Many times, it’s not easy to
do this by yourself, and help is needed. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for ways
to elevate your values and standards. If you are not comfortable reaching out
to anyone else, you can reach out to me at evapopekjesusrx@gmail.com
