The sum total of everything you value in life becomes your value system. Values are important in helping to develop your character. Values are what you believe in, or feel strongly about, and they also play a key role in developing your character.
As you mature and grow, your parents share their values with you, just like their parents shared their values with them. The things they care about and consider as important are for the most part the same things you care about. Of course, as you interact with people other than your parents, you will adopt other values as well.
As you interact with others you begin to appreciate and value what they value. For instance, your parents may not like gardening, but your aunt who lives in the country loves to garden. While visiting her for the summer, you begin to value gardening. Family members, babysitters, teachers and others all help to shape your character by sharing their values with you.
Based upon experiences and interactions, we come to value different things. For example, some people value a college education; some a trade or career. Others value staying at home and raising a family. Some value sports, while others value art. There are as many different types of values as there are people. No two people are alike, not even members of the same family.
What we value can also be affected by our culture and religion. In some cultures there is value placed upon female modesty. In other words, women choose to dress in garments that do not show their form, while in other cultures there is value placed upon objects of art and physical beauty.
If you live in an environment with a lot of crime, your safety and the safety of your family will become an important value. Even though there are many different factors affecting what we value, we can be sure that all values help to shape our character.
There are some values that all people share regardless of culture, religion, or environment. These are called moral values. A moral value is like a line that divides wrong behavior from right behavior. People from all walks of life, young or old, big or small, rich or poor, share some of the same basic concepts of moral values.
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