I am powerful, and yet unseen.
I drive the way people live their lives, yet few are aware of my effect.
I touch nearly everything everyone does, and yet I am rarely spoken of. People argue over issues without understanding how I influence their opinions. Companies rise and fall, even countries rise and fall, because of me.
Young children sense my existence, but do not know my name. Adults know my name but avoid talking about me. Learned people talk about me with complex language, while the poor, the homeless, and the disadvantaged tend to understand me better.
People who feel a deep passion for their work are more aware of my existence than those who seek merely a paycheck. Most people live their entire lives without ever considering how they feel about me, and yet their happiness or misery is largely related to my existence.
When companies hit hard times, they usually throw me out the window. Indeed, their decline is often related to their leadership having pretended that I do not exist.
In fact, all corruption results from people pretending I don’t exist.
All the perennial issues of our times, such as the death penalty, racism, sexism, abortion, gun control, and a social safety net could be solved in short order if people began their debates with me. If they did, they would find they agree more than they disagree.
If humanity started with me, human consciousness would evolve.
What am I?
I am values.
Kudos to Kim Stanley Robinson for the inspiration for this post. If you like his writing and care about global warming, we recommend The Ministry for the Future. It’s a bit of a challenging read, but well worth it.
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Clever. Yes, the invisible foundation that drives everything. Actually, fear drives a great deal of human activity, yet it might not be characterized as a value, right?
Blessings on your day!