Personal Values vs. Greater Good

Question: "During a politician's time in office, it is inevitable that they will face a difficult decision. As premiere, your input would greatly influence the solution. In your mind, would you base your decision on personal values and what you feel is best, or decide on something that could be for the greater good of the province (even if it is against some of your values)?"


I was co-producing a broadway-style musical, and realizing that much of our money was spent promoting parties and selling alcohol.  Although that conflicted with my values, I was passionate about the musical’s greater-good of bringing positive thinking to society.  My positive contribution allows me to sleep with a clear conscience.

People are the most important... more than institutions, more than religions, more than profits, and more than governments.  And it starts by being true to ourselves and being guided by our spirit.

My values are not static – they have changed over the course of my life.  When I get new information and experience (such as the benefits of a greater-good scenario), then I tend to shift my perspective because that is part of the human learning experience.

My favorite quote is that “for every profound truth, the opposite is often another profound truth.”  The art of living and leadership is not so much following the right philosophy, but the wisdom of knowing which philosophy to apply in which context.

Additional Information:
Contradictions and paradoxes are a part of life. Here are some fun examples from our culture.

opposites attract look before your leap out of sight, out of mind knowledge is power the pen is mightier than the sword better safe than sorry

birds of a feather flock together he who hesitates has lost absence makes the heart grow fonder ignorance is bliss actions speak louder than words it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission

There's the story of the fly who keeps banging its head against the glass window. It doesn't realize that there's a window, so it keeps trying. Unfortunately, it keeps trying until it dies of exhaustion. Some would say that insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. The lesson here is "if you want a different result, do something different."

What about the story of the rock-cutter who keeps axing his rock over and over again? After ninety-nine hits, the rock is still solid. On the hundredth hit of the axe, the rock splits in two! Was it the hundredth hit that was so powerful, or was it the persistence of the ninety-nine hits? "Keep trying and you'll eventually get what you want" is the lesson here.

Both these stories make valid points, even though their morals seemingly contradict each other.

"I can't try to save humanity,
without holding on to what makes me human."
- Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), Star Trek: Enterprise
See what I value by reading my detailed biography.