After completing the values activity, I learnt that my most important values are equality, responsibility and compassion. My least important values are tradition, spiritual growth and power.
I agree with these results. I think that equality, responsibility and compassion are very important. I also think that tradition spiritual growth and power are important but compared with the others they are the least important to me. A couple of other values which I find important but did not make it to the top three were friendship, family, belonging and Innovation.
What my top 3 values mean to me:
Equality means that everyone should have the same opportunities or chances in life, it shouldn’t matter where they’re from or who they are, equality is something we should stive for. Compassion is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, understanding their pain or struggle. Compassion is very important because without it people would only help others if it benefited themselves. Also, if people didn’t have compassion that would lead to increased inequality as there would be little to no drive to support others. I find the definition that was given “I believe it is important for people to voluntarily do what is expected of them.” is a poor way to describe responsibility as it is more than doing what is expected of you. Responsibility is what this course is all about, to me it means being accountable for your actions and using them to have a positive impact on the world, yourself and others.
These three values are related. Equality is something we should work towards. Having a compassionate outlook is the first step, and the action it props is our responsibility to then do.
One situation where I put into action some of these values is when I was working on a group project. We were all brainstorming out loud. One of the group members was cut off every time they spoke. I thought, If I was in their place I would not like being cut off and overall not listen to. I suggested we brainstorm on paper and then take turns saying our ideas. As a result, we all had an equal chance to speak.
Some future situations where I could put my values into action:
Value: equality Future situation: while volunteering for tutoring, I choose to volunteer at a community center with in an under privileged community where they don’t have enough volunteers instead of an overstaffed one like in north van.
Value: compassion Future situation: while washing my hands in the washroom I notice a girl crying. I ask her if she’s okay and comfort her.
Value: responsibility Future situation: My friend forgets to pack themselves lunch, I offer them half of mine.
Out of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, number 1, no poverty, aligns most with my values. This goal aims to end all poverty everywhere. This would give everyone equal access to resources and opportunities. It is aligned with responsibility and compassion since it helps and supports underprivileged communities most.
My passion is Development Goal 15, life on land. This goal works to protect plants and animals, restore forests, stop deserts from spreading, fix damaged lands and promote the use of sustainable lands. This is my passion because plants, animals and wildlife are very important in our ecosystem. Also, I think it’s unfair that wildlife has to deal with the consequences of our actions. By protecting them, we can ensure that we and our future generations can enjoy the beauty of Earth’s biodiversity.
For my action to address this goal my two partners and I will run a bottle drive; to get the bottles we will post about the drive on Instagram and around the school. We will also do a park clean-up to get more bottles, then we will recycle the bottles at Return It Depo. The money we raised will then be donated to the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC, an organization that helps injured, orphaned, and pollution-damaged wildlife. We thought that this was not only a good organization to donate to but also a good way to raise both money and awareness. The bottles we collect are being kept from ending up in landfills, we are cleaning parks, and we also get to tell people about why we are collecting them.
