Western Values : What are they?
- Thread starter MagnoliaApples
- Start date
Mikey's comments are bang on I believe. The notion of "western values" I said earlier was vague, and I'll still stick to that. Values can be personal and cultural, "Western" being obviously the latter. Western values are variable, to say there are three pillars is correct in some cases, but then there are other "western" nations which use other systems. Would France or Quebec then have 4 pillars? We would also have to include Germanic tribal customs. Now we are splitting western values into groups. Not very concise. Personal values are going to be more variable by magnitudes. What I consider desirable is not necessarilly even that which would be classed as western values. I happen to think marijuana should be de-criminalized, legalized even and that is a result of my own chosen option.
Mikey's comments are bang on? The west is driven by greed? That's what our societies are afraid of losing? Greed?!?! Oh come on! And since when is greed a WESTERN value and not an innate emotion in all human beings?
You can sit and disect western values and find all kinds of flaws, but the question that arose is what are these "alleged" western values? I have lived in the west all my life, greed is not something I cherish.
You can sit and disect western values and find all kinds of flaws, but the question that arose is what are these "alleged" western values? I have lived in the west all my life, greed is not something I cherish.
Greed isn't something I cherish either, but that would be a result of your own personal values. Besides which, I was commenting more on Mikey's comments about the western values, and the pillars we have discussed. You may not identify with some of the Roman laws as well.
We are what we do, not what we say. If our values don,t match the actions and outcomes can they be real? If our values won,t stop the destruction of the planet or change what we accept as news and information what positive use are they? I think you are wrong to blame invironmental forces for our lack of good values. It seems to me that lack of benevolent values would be a contributing factor in the state of the invironment rather than the other way arround.
I think that if we look at fundamental positive human values we will find out that they are universal rather than restricted to the western world.
A balanced person will have an equal ammount of self hate and self love ITN.:wave:
Freedom of Speech, personal liberty, separation of church and state, equal rights for all.
It is alway hard fro someone who leaves in a society to explain their values..way of life, etc since it seems everyday to them...It only shows when you go to a place where the values are different....your desire to go home at that point is really a desire to get back to your root values.
We value a democratic system where, as much as we bitch we are sure that each of us will honor the system in place and will step aside if an election is lost....Power of the people. We value family (if only our own) and look for their success (as apposed to if they bring shame on us) We value our neighbours and our communities well being.
On the bad end..we value "stuff" our homes cars items....
We have a certain amount of curtesy towards each other..we are tolerant of others and their cultures (even to a fault)
and much more.... we are 20% british culture...70% American and 10% some mix of everthing else. I am talking culture NOT heritage.
We value a democratic system where, as much as we bitch we are sure that each of us will honor the system in place and will step aside if an election is lost....Power of the people. We value family (if only our own) and look for their success (as apposed to if they bring shame on us) We value our neighbours and our communities well being.
On the bad end..we value "stuff" our homes cars items....
We have a certain amount of curtesy towards each other..we are tolerant of others and their cultures (even to a fault)
and much more.... we are 20% british culture...70% American and 10% some mix of everthing else. I am talking culture NOT heritage.
Hating Ottawa.
The variety of sub-cultures we have in BC; Native (well over 60 different ones there alone), Chinese, Indian, Doukhobor, etc.
Salmon fishing. Trout fishing. Steelhead fishing.
Hunting.
Glacier tours.
Hot springs.
Skiing.
Technological developments such as daytime running lights.
etc.
We're a playground for the world.
We are known all over for things like those and it is embedded in our culture.
Well, my dear, you weren't looking very deep were you? How many other places on the planet have Haidas and Tlingits and Kwakiutl? Steelhead fishing? Large areas of wilderness that are extremely remote? The quantity of glaciers we have? ........ All those things have given BCers a unique character. People's characters display their values (I dislike that word and have since ChRETIeN spouted it). I think the same values are pretty much rife across Canada; we value life, liberty, justice, etc. but our character shows how much and how we care about these things.
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We are free to live as we please in the privacy of our homes. We are free to practice or not our difference religions in our homes or places of worship and we do not impose our beliefs on the public at large. All our children have a right to primary and secondary education, beyond this it is their choice.
We may not have a perfect country but it sure is *&^% of a lot better than many others.
We may not have a perfect country but it sure is *&^% of a lot better than many others.
Western values means you can little and big mosques across the dusty prairies of the western world, but you cannot have any kind of church from another religion in an Arab country like Saudi Arabia. Iraq under Saddam Hussein had Christian churches. Western values translate into action, it is not just talk.
Western Values
I think the best way to describe our western values, is to look at the Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms. I like the fact that we as a rule should respect and embrace other cultures in Canada. We are unique and our Charter guarantees that all our minorities and all Canadians are treated fairly. We have our differences from coast to coast but I think we all value our charter. If some of us don’t then they should learn it and what it stands for. That encompasses what I think are the core western values. For those of you who are interested here is a link to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/Charter/index.html
I think the best way to describe our western values, is to look at the Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms. I like the fact that we as a rule should respect and embrace other cultures in Canada. We are unique and our Charter guarantees that all our minorities and all Canadians are treated fairly. We have our differences from coast to coast but I think we all value our charter. If some of us don’t then they should learn it and what it stands for. That encompasses what I think are the core western values. For those of you who are interested here is a link to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/Charter/index.html
i'm still waiting for a chance to vote on the Constitution and the fabled Charter. My right as a citizen in a democracy. If you're going to make a sea change in the way a society operates you get approval from the public. You don't impose the values of an elite, top down, on members of a modern state. Shame on Canada for such unseemly behaviour!