Value Spectrum for a good life

Value Spectrum for a good life

A good life can be lead in a society with peace, harmony, well-being and fellow feeling. Just like a spectrum of light has different colours, similarly a good life comprises of different important values. They are:

1.     Material values

2.    Social (or societal) values

3.    Aesthetic values

4.    Psychological values

5.    Ethical values

6.    Spiritual values

7.    Human Values

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The above values can be collectively visualized as the value spectrum for a good life.

Elements of Value Spectrum

Material Values: Values associated with material aspect/comfort of living are called material values.

Societal Values: Good life can be lived only in a good society Such society provides peace, harmony and general well-being with overall growth. This is necessary to ensure social cooperation for production of material and social goods. In a good society everyone is aware of their rights, earning a livelihood and freedom to blossom to their potential. Societal values refer to making a good society. They are operatives in social structures and the basic social institutions created by society. Take for example, Justice. On one hand it means people getting their rightful dues, reward, recognition, respect for rights, liberties, meeting valid demands, on the other hand the area of law, legal justice is a formal procedure followed by courts adjucating conflicting claims of litigants. Some values relevant to societal values are: Rule of Law, Democracy, Secularism.
Spiritual Values: The values of truth, righteousness, peace, love, forgiveness and non-violence are found in all major spiritual paths. These spiritual values are also human values and are the fundamental roots of a healthy, vibrant, and viable work career.

Psychological Values: One must possess sound mental health, maturity for a good life.There should not be any stress, psychological conflicts.

Aesthetic Values: Creation and enjoyment of beauty are part of a good life. A careful cultivation of taste for appreciating beauty in art, nature and life leads to bliss and is called Aesthetic values.

Moral Values: A good person must be a moral person, his personal conduct and social interrelations must be based on ethical principles. Ethical and moral values occupy the centre stage in good life.

Human Values: All these different values go into making a good human being and a good human society. Therefore collectively they constitute human values.Additionally, the concept of humanism uses the term 'human values' to signify the importance, dignity and centrality of human person in the whole scheme of values.