The Values Conundrum - and what we need to do about it

This is a rant, with a silver lining.

We like to think that our life, and the decisions within them, are based on a certain set of values. What we consider important to nurture in our lives, should be based on the principles we hold dear. Being kind, being content with oneself, respecting others, embracing diverse perspectives, working hard for our achievements, might be some of the many values we’ve been taught, and we strive to emulate in our daily lives.

The oxford dictionary defines value as “principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life”. This thought percolates even among historic and religious texts. A revered Indian philosopher, and vedic scholar who has had a huge impact on my life, Swami Dayananda Saraswati once said “the expression of my life is just the expression of my well-assimilated value structure. What I do, is but an expression of what is valuable to me”. In an ideal world therefore, our life, and our values should be interconnected reflections of each other.

But are we really a reflection of our values today? Even if our values were the basis of major life decisions (and there’s a big ‘if’ there), do we stay true to them in the investments we make, the content we consume, the activities and experiences we put our time into? I don’t think we’re there yet.

Our content choices are a good example of how our value systems can get lost in translation. Our guilty pleasures are many-fold nowadays, and might be detrimental to our own progress. Reality TV and the multi-million dollar industry that it is today with shows like The Kardashians, Big Boss and The Bachelor are as popular as they are because we as consumers choose to get hooked to it. Netflix started playing in the game with recent series like ‘Indian Matchmaking’, ‘Selling Sunset’ and ‘Too Hot To Handle’. Why? Because it sells – not for any particular reason than for quick, short-lived entertainment.

And look I get it. After a hard, brain-frying day of work, I’m the first to grab the remote and watch multiple episodes of Friends and binge-watch Modern Family. At the end of the day, entertainment has value to me too. It helps one relax and unwind, all needed before getting back to the grind all over again the next day.

There is a space and function for entertainment, and easy-to-consume content in our lives. But does it really have to take up so much of our mindspace? If we are still left unsatiated by it all, and still left wondering how else we can make ourselves better, and what values we really are living by, that might be a sign for us to look in other directions.

The arts have the greatest potential to help us introspect on our values system, and yet the popularity divide we see across the arts world shows us that we still have a long way to go in truly realizing that. Bee lines are formed for pop-music concerts and we’re willing to pay the premium for the catchy beats and show-stopping performances. On the other hand, theater venues or classical shows that could dig deeper into the same themes of love, life and loss, empowerment, without the bells and whistles of entertainment, would go largely unnoticed.

Part of the reason for this is the gap in translating the value and relatability of unfamiliar art forms. A lot of art forms could do a better job at marketing themselves. But a big part of their niche engagement is the assumptions we place on them. We gravitate towards the familiarity and convenience of mainstream entertainment, and don’t always put our money where our values are.

I promised you a silver lining at the end of this, so here it goes: If there is ever an opportune time for us to access, experiment, and experience different expressions of art and introspecting on our values, it is now. With the world conforming to digital-only engagement, theater shows, dance dramas, classical concerts, literature festivals, are becoming more accessible online. Here are some suggestions that could get you started:

Until The Lions, Akhram Khan Dance Company, that will certainly make you re-evaluate your definition of revenge and empowerment

Cemetery, an independent film as part of the Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA), would be a stoic awakening of our connection to nature, in life and in death.

Mashrou’ Leila, and his band put together such breath-taking songs on reflections on masculinity and society that just hit you in ways you don’t expect. His voice in itself is enough to take your breath away, I assure you.

Time, and what we decide to do with it, is our greatest enabler. Let’s make sure we invest enough of it into the values we actually want to be defined by.