Samantha Wardell

Journal 1
We Are Our Values
By: Susan Anderson
Questions: Should we question our values? How can we know when to keep or discard
them?
Inevitably, people are their values. Values make up each individual, as that is
made up of their beliefs, culture, identity, religion, economic stand point, community, ethics, etc.
Peoples values change constantly depending on the circumstances and the factors taking place,
so to answer my question from above, yes, you should question your values when it comes to
making big decisions, and taking into count the different factors of impact. These factors may
impact you (which people tend to be most concerned about), but it may also impact many people
around you. You need to consider all factors and think about the best possible outcome for the
most amount of people.
Sometimes you may be faced with a choice that doesnt necessarily involve you directly,
but you still have to choose the right choice, and that can be tough. For example, being a doctor,
you may have to end someones life, but this would mean this person is no longer suffering from
pain. This is a very hard choice and I like how the book put it; if you had a pet who was suffering
and in pain and there was nothing you could do, you would put your pet to sleep, and feel
somewhat good about it, knowing they are no longer in pain. Same goes for a person. (Anderson,
p.10, 2013).
Everyone has their own values, and overall, those people are going to do what they want
in the end. You might be able to persuade them to a degree, but peoples values are what makes

them who they are, so it can be difficult to change their mind. All you can do it hope that they
question their values before they make a decision, and hope that they consider all the
consequences of their actions before they decide.
It can be very hard to know whether to keep your values or discard them and choose a
different route, because there really are so many factors that come to play when making a
decision. People tend to focus on themselves most of the time and what is best for them, which is
great because individuals should have the right to pursue their own happiness, but allow others
to do the same as well (Anderson, p.12, 2013). In the end, do what is best for you and the people
closest to you, but I think it is important for people to always consider ethics at the back of their
mind for every decision they make. It isnt what people are likely to do, but what they ought to
do (Anderson, p.15, 2013).

Sources
Allen, Paul, Jennifer Bauman, and Susan Anderson. "We Are Our Values." It
Begins With Our Questions: A Thematic Introduction to the Humanities. SLCC Edition
ed. Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil, 2013. 1160. Print.