Values, Values, where art thou?
Erik T. Maglaqui
Recently, a close friend confided his utmost secret – having affairs outside his marriage. He blabbed on and on about it as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. He claims he is just enjoying his life, and it was just his fantasies coming to reality. He went on so far as to say that despite what he is doing, he is not hurting anyone. I let a deep internal sigh, wait until your wife finds out – in such case, I am sure someone will definitely get hurt. I believe that happiness is a choice, but there is a particular hierarchy of how we should prioritize our feelings and actions in relation to the factors outside ourselves. Your right to be happy ends when the right of others to be happy (and not be hurt) begins. Sadly, his choice to be happy blinded his sense of value and morality.
As a teacher and his confidante, I tried to comment and correct his line of thoughts to dissuade him from doing any more damage. However, I got slammed – Friendship over!
I tried to understand where all this was coming from. His background: separated parents, child labor from his relatives who were supposed to take care of his needs, and lack of attention. Plus many other miscellaneous factors that might have affected his personality, beliefs, and view of morality.
This list reminds me of the typical situation students in my class are experiencing. If the situations and formation of values are connected, we may raise a young society where values and morality are corrupted.
It is not surprising to hear news about juvenile cases such as early pregnancy, rape, robbery, and even murder. Profiter du présent, translated as seize the day, or as the younger generation puts it, YOLO (You only live once), is the mantra many youths follow now. As long as they can satisfy their needs, it is okay with them – whatever means they used to achieve the satisfaction of their needs.
It is fair. It is just. It is correct.
I cringe every time I hear the reasoning behind the actions of juvenile offenders caught by the policemen. It lacks substance. Where have all the GMRC and Values Education gone? Did we fail to cascade it down to the next generation?
Many people, even I, blame the Media. However, I realized that media might play a role in shaping one’s values, but it is still the basic unit of society, the family, that molds an individual.
School also creates an avenue for these “corrupted” beliefs to be corrected. That is the reason why parents and school partnership is crucial. If parents’values cannot be changed, little can be done to direct the next generation back on the right track. I hope not.
In every lesson that I prepare, I make sure that values are incorporated into my teaching topic. I regard it as my top priority, hoping that by some miracle, it may enlighten young minds and move hearts to shape values according to God’s will of a better society. It is also vital for teachers like myself to highlight the importance of moral obligations to others and ourselves. If moral standards guide society, the world would undoubtedly be a better place.
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The author is Teacher II at Pulung Santol National High School