Values more than Hobbies

Have Values, Not Hobbies

There's one thing you will most certainly agree with me, that there are millions of people on this planet. Some of these people will be pleasant and open the door for you, while others will take your favorite parking spot that one day when you're late to college/work. Some people will borrow your brand new octane pen and promise to return it back but slip it into their pouch anyways. You may encounter people who say horrible things to you, on a rainy day, when you're late for college, wearing a shirt that is too tight for you because no matter how much you try to control yourself, that Pringles jar keeps calling you out, looking at you with those irresistible puppy dog face! (I'm being too specific projecting the story of my life!😅.)

Throughout this entire experience, your values are being tested and attacked. That's why, they must be strong, because values don't get to take a day off. If you stay true to your values only when things are going well, then those aren't values; they're hobbies. 

An Amitastic person knows that values need to be upheld even during the most difficult and stressful situations. If you get into a fight with someone who used a lot of abusive language towards you, is it right to respond in the same manner? They did it first. But does that make it right? Does that action align with your values? It is so tempting to throw our values out of the window when someone pushes our buttons, but our beliefs should not break in heated situations. We're all guilty of it. We get angry and we say things that we don't mean, or we convince ourselves that our actions are in some way or the other, right.

The classic example of this is bullying.I would like to believe, that the average human being is against bullying. Although we've all been both victim and offender at some point in our lives. Most people will tell you that bullying is wrong. When we watch movies about people who are bullied, we feel for them and possibly even shed a tear. We participate in anti-bullying events, use hashtags on Instagram and support programs in schools that help students understand the effects of bullying. Then after all our exhausting work fighting for the cause, we get home, scroll through Instagram and share a post of a celebrity having a wardrobe malfunction and falling on her face because we think it's hilarious. If that's the case, on your resume underneath the heading that says "Hobbies", you should write "Bullying".

Bullying is still bullying even if the victim is a famous celebrity. There is no justification for thinking it's okay to make fun of a celebrity. I often hear people say:

"They don't have problems-they're rich."

"They'll never see it."

"They're horrible and they deserve it."

They don't have problems-they're rich. People's problems are still their problems even if they differ from yours. Let's say that somehow a celebrity doesn't have any problems ( which again is next to impossible.) Does that make it okay to bully them? Do you only believe that bullying is wrong in only certain cases? Are all the seemingly problem-free people in this world fair game? Your value system should not change just because of circumstances.

At the end of the day, fewer people will care if you bully a Kardashian than if you bully a fellow classmate. But that doesn't matter. Even if other people don't hold you accountable, you need to hold yourself accountable. You're an Amitastic person, and weak values are not in your recipe for success. When the world tempts you to go against your values, you need a shield of resistance.

 When I'm having a hard time staying true to my values, I can literally feel it in my soul. I can feel that I'm doing things that I don't believe in and I feel messy and dirty inside. This happens from time to time and that's okay as long as you make an active effort to correct your behavior. And like anytime you're lost, the only way is through clear direction. Be clear about what exactly your values are.

At the end of the day, having strong values is optional, not mandatory. There are many people out there who do not have strong values and their beliefs change more than the Transformer. But you, you are an Amitastic person, and when you believe something, it doesn't matter if it's sunny or stormy outside- you act in accordance with what you believe. Not only do strong values make you a more trustworthy and reliable person, but they help build your self-control.

Remember all those pointless math problems you had to solve in math class?  Well, unlike those, figuring out your values actually matters. You're not trying to solve for the value of x or y; instead, you're trying to solve for a meaningful life.

Let your values be the powerhouse of the cell. Ha! Take that, Mitochondria!!

Bye!!!