#Values

Authenticity is the grand performance of extolling a manufactured ‘genuineness’ certificate to conceal one’s own void of substance. We shout ‘this is me’ on social media while posting flawlessly retouched selfies, losing sight of our reflection. We proclaim inner exploration yet scurry off to the latest self-help seminar for a ‘be yourself’ manual, a tragic contradiction. The more we chase the real, the more we live in a universe plastered with fakes. Authenticity is not the end of seeking truth—it is merely the beginning of an endless act.

A belief system is a mental fortress erected to defend chosen principles and to silence dissent with bulldozer certainty. It masquerades as mutual understanding while fortifying one’s own position, often doubling as an excuse for intellectual passivity. United under its banner, it fosters a peculiar camaraderie that quickly turns hostile at a hint of a different hue. Ultimately, it grants the supreme privilege of proclaiming oneself the sole embodiment of truth in a grand act of self-admiration.

Value conflict is a social sport where one waves personal morals like flags and treats another’s beliefs as enemy banners. It produces no winners, only mounting exhaustion. The more one asserts their righteousness, the narrower their view becomes, ultimately summoning a storm of indifference. In the end, the only honored trophy is “we talked and nothing was resolved.”

Value discussion is a ceremony held in meeting rooms to ostensibly explore each other’s values while covertly validating one’s own convenience. Participants lend ears but activate noise-cancelling shields the moment it gets inconvenient. Diversity is celebrated only to be funneled through the homogenizing filter of corporate slogans. Behold the fluttering of the butterfly of pretense.

Values are the statues displayed on the stylish shelves of the self, purported to color everyday choices but in reality mere picture frames for self-portraits judged by others. One claims to "follow one's values" while the true keys lie in societal approval. They become the sacred grounds for right and wrong, yet often reveal themselves as nothing more than decorative mental trinkets. Treasured as a life guide, they ultimately serve as magical incantations that spawn irresponsible excuses for one's decisions.

A 'value system' is a placard of self-righteousness hoisted to divide others under the guise of social decorum. Treasured as a tool for easily pointing out others' flaws, it is nothing more than a cloak to conceal one's own blind spots. Each time we proclaim our values, we broadcast our limitations and deny diversity. In corporations, they hang them as core values, yet in practice they serve only as reinforcing props for the tyranny of profit margins. Ultimately, values are comforting fictions we lean on to feel safe, and options that make the world more cramped. What truly matters is not brandishing values, but leaving space on others' shelves—but no one asks for that.