Fundamental Societal Values and Their Significance
Responsibility is an attribute of a person’s character which implies that an individual can undertake some tasks, can be answerable for their actions, and ready to face any outcomes that might result from their actions. Oxford dictionary asserts responsibility as the state or act of having an obligation to be in control of something or a situation implying that it is something which one is required to undertake as a virtuous member of a given group, community, or organization.
The Value of Responsibility and Its Significance
Responsibility can take two primary forms which are personal and societal responsibility. Personal responsibility entails the condition in which a person is held accountable for a given thing or a situation. Responsibility is not an inherent value but rather, is something any person should build up in themselves and make it part of their personality. However, as much as individuals can cultivate responsibility for themselves, in some instances, some individuals appear to be more responsible than others. To some no matter the extent to which they try to be accountable they do not end up being fully responsible whereas to others it appears quite easy to be responsible. That is, to some people the sense and practice of responsibility don’t seem hard, but at the same time, others find themselves struggling with the value of being responsible. Taking personal responsibility for one’s actions and decisions is beneficial to individuals since it renders them to be unique from others, more powerful and also makes them teachable. This, in turn, contributes to their growth development and success in every context of their undertakings.
In society people without a sense of responsibility are perceived as lacking a vital and constructive attribute whereas responsible persons are more likely to gain the respect of other people and to secure a respectable position in that society.
Social responsibility, on the other hand, refers to the ethical framework which proposes that any entity, whether an individual or an organization, has to act for the well-being of overall society. Social responsibility is vital and plays a significant role in every aspect of a person’s life. As such to have a developing and prosperous society, individuals have to be conscious of both personal and social responsibilities. Every community member has personal duties and responsibilities towards themselves and others. All are expected to fulfill these responsibilities and duties to uphold a cooperative spirit and to maintain a balance between people as well as between people and nature since social responsibility is an obligation that each person has to undertake to maintain a sense of balance between the ecosystems and the economy.
Responsibility is vital in society in a varied number of ways, and one of these benefits is that responsibility acts as a guide to behavior. This is in the sense that with the acceptance of personal responsibilities individuals feel the urge to act accordingly and avoid repetition of their past mistakes hence raising efficiency in society. Again, effective responsibility acceptance and delivery can help in the prevention of tragic consequences because if all individuals act accordingly and fulfill their duties in all social contexts, the occurrence of accidents and catastrophes can reduce.
The Value Discipline and Its Importance
Discipline is defined as a form of training that develops the moral character of an individual and facilitates the production of a particular type of behaviors. Training is essential in helping an individual to modify, expand the overall situation, right personality with the change in individual behavior patterns. Discipline plays a vital role in our lives. Life would not operate smoothly without discipline. Teachers, parents, and elders in the family are the principal people to initiate the sense of being disciplined to the children. One starts to learn discipline at a young age in life. Discipline ensures that life flows smoothly without placing any barriers to individual freedom. Additionally, discipline also teaches to be orderly towards attaining life goals, and it also helps in achieving those goals and ambitions.
Social life discipline is very instrumental in the development and operation of social structure in society. A society that lacks proper discipline promotes unethical behavior, for instance, lack of discipline in a community will encourage bad behavior such as increased crime rate and violence. Self-discipline is very crucial in attaining complete life discipline, and additionally, it is also significant in developing a good character of the individual concerned, ‘He that cannot obey cannot command.’ said Benjamin Franklin.
It is difficult for a nation to make progress both economically and socially without order and self-disciplined citizens. Law-abiding and disciplined citizens will lead to the development of a society with great unity and proper cooperation. Therefore we can ascertain that the strength of a nation depends on the level of discipline of its citizens, as in the words of Patrick Henry ‘United we stand and divided we fall.’
Self-discipline is significant in motivating people despite the numerous adverse emotional condition of the mind. Self-discipline entails individual having strong determination to take control of their mind. This also operates spontaneously and results to success. It can be considered a defensive mechanism although it’s difficult while trying to combat negative emotions of the mind preventing the initiation of negative behavior as a result of negative mental emotions. In religious life, spiritual activities require systemic actions with firm discipline in life, and leading a Christian life requires a constant attentiveness over the mind.
The Main Benefits Accrued to Being Disciplined
Firstly, being disciplined implies being focused. Discipline enables one to stay determined towards his goal, work, or other activities. People with strong goals remain focused and always work on time. Moreover, disciplined people have always to control their minds against negative emotions to attain their goals, work, and ambitions. Lack of completion of work in time regularly implies being undisciplined.
Second, being disciplined leads to earning respect from others. Individuals struggle to achieve respect from their colleagues in everyday life, the employer in the workplace, teachers and fellow students in school and many more environments. The easiest way to gain respect is by being disciplined. People obey and respects individuals who portray discipline qualities. For many it is difficult to be disciplined for someone and be yourself, but will automatically earn respect for this ability; for instance, disciplined employees complete assignment on time, always in the workplace on time and many more activities that portrays discipline. This will surely earn him/her respect from the employer. Additionally, in the study environment, discipline helps one to complete homework in time, prepares thoroughly for an exam, this enables the student to attain high scores and therefore earns respect from teachers and colleagues.
Besides, discipline helps individuals to stay healthy. This is through, having a disciplined life which includes regular patterns such as taking medication, having a bath, taking food, walking, exercising, and sleeping at the right time. Sleeping, exercising, and other routine behaviors taking place within the right time regulates the mind and body continuously helping an individual to remain healthy. In chronic disease cases, taking medication at the right time allows individuals to get better soon.
Moreover, discipline is essential in getting things done and being happy. Individuals with self-discipline get things done faster and in time. Although some things may happen late due to various factors, still individuals with self-discipline will get the task done more quickly as compared to others due to the principle of being on time. This results in peace of mind and keeps individuals happy. For instance, when meeting for a family gathering at an evening, a disciplined person will always complete a task assigned to them and show up for the family gathering leaving both the employer and the family members satisfied and resulting in the creation of a sense of pride in oneself.
The Value of Respect and Its Significance
Respect refers to the demonstration of high regard for or an exceptional attitude towards a person or something. The term can also entail the sense of excellence or worth of an individual and is vital in the building of ego. There exist three primary forms of respect namely, personal respect, respect for property, and respect for others. Respect is a significant life value and is the very aspect that helps in keeping all things in life in order. It is a value that is highly esteemed in society and taught at almost all social institutions from family, schools to religious places.
Personal -respect entails having a sense of dignity and honor concerning oneself the choices one makes and their life. By developing a powerful sense of self-respect, one can be able to fulfill their potential, develop healthy relationships, as well as earn one respect from the people around them. For one to indeed attain the sense of self-respect it is necessary to first accept themselves in all aspects, be ready to learn from earlier mistakes, stay prepared to handle critics by others, understand their real dreams and aspirations and lastly strive to ensure that they can attain these aspirations by living in line with their lifelong goals and expectations.
Self-respect is vital to an individual as it acts as a balancing factor for one’s life as well as improves the self-esteem of any individual. Lack of personal respect in most cases might lead a person to depression due to a lack of self-worth by such individuals. Respect for others entails showing regards to other persons whether persons of the same age group or older persons. Concern for others enhances smooth interactions between persons and this in turn also ensures that one can tap and learn from each other vital life lessons.
Respect for property, on the other hand, entails appreciating the belongings of other people and handling them carefully as one would with their features. This involves taking care of other people’s assets, avoiding their destruction as well as not taking them without the knowledge of the owner, or rather stealing. Disrespect for the properties of other people is an unpleasant behavior that could even be considered a criminal offense.
Respect for other people’s properties is one of the major factors which lead to positive interaction between individuals in society in any given context. This can be attributed to the fact that by respecting the properties of others does not only show an individual’s concern for the property but in extension also implies and shows their regards to the property owner. Respect of properties is a critical aspect in the enhancement of peace in society as it augments friendships and interactions among individuals and reduces conflicts between persons in a community.
In summation, the behaviors and attitudes of individuals in society are guided by values. These are common ideals in which a given organization uses to distinguish between the appropriate, inappropriate actions and control interactions. Discipline, responsibility, and respect are some of the significant societal values, and when delivered and used efficiently they could all offer a wide range of significances to society. Such benefits accrued to the practice of these values include that they act as a behavior guide, smoothen social interaction among individuals, lower catastrophic experiences, and improve the self-esteem of individuals. This then means that any society which needs to enhance the coexistence and relationships between individuals should emphasize the practice of the above values. This could be done by emphasizing and sensitizing its members on the significance and merits associated with the practice of being respectful, disciplined, and responsible. This could be delivered efficiently by using social institutions such as the family, religious places, and schools as mediums of teaching these values.
