Ethical Values

There are so many various types of people with different ethnic backgrounds, culture and manner of living that are the cause of distinct values in a family. These families have poor, mediocre or virtuous family values, however what one may consider as a mediocre family value may seem poor to someone else and vice-versa. These family values differ from family to family world-wide. The most significant values are family unity, honesty and education. Family unity, is a family being together in blissful harmony on holidays. Family unity is regardless how bad a situation may be it will bring us closer together and make our bond stronger. Family unity is my family watching me grow from infancy to adulthood, guiding me with good values. Family unity is communicating with each other. Unfortunately, my parents were seldom around during my childhood stages. Therefore they were rarely home to guide me through good family values. Now that I am an adult my parents are persistent to spend time with me and teach me values not taught to me when I was a child. I believe it's like teaching an old dog new tricks. A child needs direction from the childhood up to adulthood not the reverse. I recall coming home from school to an empty house. My parents were working to provide us with a home, things we needed and wanted. Regardless, as a child a family was just as important. A popular soul singer, Luther Vandross, sang a song whose lyrics explained about objects in a house that were still the same, but a house was not a home if there wasn't anyone there you can kiss good night. I must agree with Luther, I've felt the same way for years. It would have been nice to have my parents home to enforce rules at home. For example, if someone would have been home I would have done my homework instead of going outside to play. Another example is sitting together as a family to have dinner is something we rarely did. There were many things I wish we would have discussed at the dinner table. Having my parents spend time with me on weekends would have been very good example of family values. My parents were so busy trying to give us everything material and forgot that spending time with us meant more. Secondly, the value of honesty. Honesty is the back bone of a persons word. Without it there would not be any meaning. Throughout my life my father always stressed that honesty was an important value. In other words , "honesty is the best policy." Of course there are times when honesty may hurt someone's feelings, but that was an situation we had to decide on our own. I can even remember my very first honesty lesson my parents taught me. It was taking my grandfathers silver dollars and playing with them when I shouldn't. I later that evening my grandfather went to go show my younger sister those silver dollars and somehow they were missing. My mother and father came to me because earlier that day grandfather showed me those silver dollars and my parent thought I might have taken them to play with. Well, when I was asked that sixty-four thousand dollar "Brian did you take Grandfathers silver dollars" my answer was "no". Well later that day, while I was playing in the play room my father happen to walk in while I was loading those missing silver dollars on to my dump truck. Boy did I know I was in trouble. He crabbed me by the arm and explained to me that it was not nice to lie to them. So dad made me go out to grandfather and apologize to him and my mother and told me it was not right to lie. I will never forget that valuable lesson my father taught me that day. My third most valuable belief is education. Having come from a family with both parents without a college degree. My parents strongly believed that education was a value for future success. They had me observe how they both had to work to make ends meet. Both of them explained however if they had received a college education thing would have been a little easier around the family. They now realize the value of a college education and what it means to the whole family. It would have meant mom could have stayed home with us during younger years and built our values up even more then they are now. That is what they are trying to prevent from happening to me and my family. It is not until now I realize what they were talking about. Just watching the evening news and seeing these families who are less fortunate to go attend college makes me appreciate the chance my parent give me. These are just some of the many values my parents preach to me over the years. Family unity, honesty, and education are the gigantic values that I can remember my parent discussing with me. These three values that were instilled in me will one day be passed on to my children because I feel that these values are very significant in establishing one's self and one's own personal values.