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
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