Human Values

living with the world

I read something in my social media feed about how economic interests are fuelling decisions rather than human values.

I think the terms “human values”, “values” and (for me in Sweden) “Swedish values” are something that gets mentioned and written a lot (it is a part of the preschool, school and fritids curriculum here in Sweden) - but is it always fully understood what is meant by this, and how we should behave as educators to uphold these values and instill these values?

So maybe looking at human values is a good place to start?

In several places (of a quick search - see below) they are described as the foundational values of what makes us us - the core values of our identity that helps shape our attitudes, goals, and priorities, and they help us navigate the complexities of life. They act as a compass to guide us in our life journey, even when faced with difficult choices in order to remain true to ourselves.

According to the theory of basic human values developed by psychologists Shalom H. Schwartz and Tammy D. Weisz, there are ten broad values that people across cultures tend to endorse and strive towards. These values are:

1. Self-direction: independence, creativity, and freedom of thought and action. (play)

2. Stimulation: excitement, novelty, and challenges in life. (play)

3. Hedonism: pleasure and enjoyment of life. (play)

4. Achievement: personal success, competence, and mastery. (play)

5. Power: social status, control, and dominance over people and resources. (play)

6. Security: safety, stability, and predictability in life. (play)

7. Conformity: restraint of actions, tendencies, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social norms and expectations.

8. Tradition: respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that traditional culture or religion provides.

9. Benevolence: concern for the welfare of others and a desire to help and contribute to society.

10. Universalism: appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and nature.

I added the word “play” to the first 6 because I felt that play is either the value, or that value can be achieved through play - the others probable contain play too - lots of traditions are connected to play for instance, but they did not feel as obvious as the first 6.

1. play is autonomy

2. play is stimulation, novelty and challenge (risky play)

3. play is joy and pleasure

4. play is a way to master many skills - walking, talking, jumping, social skills etc etc etc

5. play is a way to understand the power systems in the world

6. play is a way to feel safe, but also requires safety/security

I also prefer the term acceptance over tolerance - but understand that before there can be acceptance there needs to be tolerance to provide the time to learn and understand more and to, hopefully, move into acceptance.

The Values Institute state that there are three spiritual core values that can be considered - Peace, Love, and Joy. I feel these tie in very well with Original Learning (Joy being one of the essential threads that includes the concepts of love, and social justice (which for me is striving for peace)).

Peace enables growth and development. It is vital for well-being, healthy relationships and societies. It is the absence of violence and conflicts.

(Peace) aims to create communities that embrace diversity and where everyone feels valued and safe. Peaceful societies are characterized by high levels of trust, collaboration, and mutual support, leading individuals to experience a sense of security, belonging, and purpose. Therefore, peace is a value that can contribute to human well-being and create a fair and compassionate world. (1)

Love is integral to our human nature, to our ability to create peace, it is our ability to have empathy, compassion, to understand and to forgive; it motivates trust, generosity and acts of kindness; and the ability to bring forth positive change.

Joy is described as taking great pleasure in the simple everyday things in life - like spending time with loved ones, or connected with nature.

Prioritizing joy as a core value means cultivating a sense of wonder, gratitude, and curiosity toward the world. Creating an environment that encourages joy is crucial in personal relationships, workplaces, and communities. People who prioritize joy tend to be more creative, productive, and resilient, and they experience positive emotions like optimism, hope, and love. (1)

In these descriptions more threads of Original Learning become visible - wonder, curiosity, collaboration is connected to interaction, creativity is connected to imagination, change is connected to risk, empathy connected to listening, growth and development is connected to knowledge and reflection - and all of this needs time.

Values can also be categorised in yet further ways… why not look through this list and write down which of these values define you right now, and a second list of what you aspire to - on a personal level and also as an educator (or parent)

Health values

• Vitality

• Fitness

• Rest

• Strength

• Flexibility

• High intensity

• Radiance

Financial values

• Risk-taking

• Wealth

• Generosity

• Comfort

• Stability

• Prudence

• Investment

Relationship values

• Kindness

• Love

• Loyalty

• Honesty

• Empathetic

• Passionate

• Reliable

Spiritual values

• Faithful

• Mindful

• Charitable

• Altruistic

• Devoted

• Intuitive

• Content

Experiential values

• Adventure

• Novelty

• Thrill-seeking

• Challenge

• Predictability

• Travel

• Serenity

Cognitive values

• Ambitious

• Optimistic

• Humorous

• Humility

• Intelligence

• Wise

• Inquisitive

Social values

• Equity

• Freedom

• Diversity

• Inclusion

• Equality

• Justice

• Progress

Professional values

• Leadership

• Control

• Responsibility

• Integrity

• Professionalism

• Engagement

• Agility

Purpose values

• Legacy

• Philanthropy

• Impact

• Service

• Growth

• Mastery

• Self-realization

Environmental values

• Regeneration

• Nature stewardship

• Sustainability

• Harmony

• Preparedness

• Utility

• Awareness

Adaptability values

• Antifragility

• Resilience

• Openness to change

• Patience

• Routine

• Structure

• Predictability

Belonging values

• Community

• Workplace

• Team

• Friendship

• Family

• Independence

• Solitude (1)

I also think that terms like “growth” need to be re-examined. I often think growth from an economic point of view is about constant expansion rather than understanding that all things in life have a maximum size and going beyond that is detrimental - the tallest trees for example often can only survive if they have other trees breaking the wind around them… remove those trees and the investment in height is no longer an advantage to reaching light but a hazard on windy days. I think there is a tendency to make decisions without remembering that we are a part of the ecosystem and that we are endangering ourselves when making decisions to reach the light without considering the fact we are also simultaneously removing the trees around us.

I think decisions about human rights and who is entitled to them is fuelled by economic interests rather than human values - peoples with no power will seek power, peoples with no freedom will seek freedom, peoples with no security will seek security - and if no-one is listening, if no-one has empathy, if no-one is bringing forth the positive change - then the likelihood of actions to make themselves heard and seen increase.

There is no peace without justice.

So what does all of this have to do with early childhood education?

We, as educators, carers and parents of young children, have the responsibility of being their guardians while they are busy forming their own identity. What we say, what we do, what experiences and stories we offer them are going to affect the way they identify themselves. What kind of values that they embrace.

So take the time. Go through these lists of values. Seek out various pages and papers about human values and reflect on how we can provide spaces that will encourage children to become the adults we need for a peaceful future.

1. https://values.institute/list-human-values/

2. https://jamesclear.com/core-values

3. https://humanvaluesfoundation.com/

4. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01676/full (The Relation Between Human Values and Perceived Situation Characteristics in Everyday Life)

5. https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/9454/volumes/v05/NA-05 (for a different angle on values from a more commercialism point of view and usage)

“human values” by AI