Values

My spouse and I had a spirited discussion this morning whereupon the accusation that I valued things more than people was levelled at me. The answer is a little complex: I was certainly guilty of it up to about two years ago but not anymore. Certainly once you toss the question of "which people and which things?", the answer becomes more complex; an extreme counterexample would be the fact that I would value my purse way more than the mugger trying to take it away from me. That's not the interesting bit though - after the discussion, I went away and thought about it some more and I realized that these days, there is something more than things and people that I value more.

I value ideas. I value truth. Usually but not always more than people or things. But as a rule of thumb, yes, the truth usually wins.

This is not an Epiphany. I have always valued truth above all else. It doesn't mean that I successfully discern the truth in all circumstances but when I do, I act upon it.

Valuing truth and acting upon it doesn't mean I'm going to be rigid about it. If the truth will hurt someone, I have to weigh the good of telling the truth versus the pain that it is going to inflict. Sometimes I tell the truth. Other times, I don't. Both are actions. Which led me to another discovery - the counterbalance to truth isn't un-truth, nor family nor any number of things. No, the counterbalance to truth is compassion.

In a roundabout way, this brings me to hint upon my next posting. I have decided to join the Union of Concerned Scientists even though I'm not American. This may not make me very popular in some circles. I don't view myself as an activist by any stretch of the imagination but we, all of us who believe in factual truth, have to decide when (not if) we have to take a stand for scientific integrity. For me, the time is now.