John Sturdy: My values

independence

determination

diligence

uncompromisability

restraint

The overall scheme

I see virtues in two main areas: virtues of strength, and virtues of kindliness. Without strength, kindliness would be weak and ineffectual, so I include as virtues some things that many would describe as rough edges.

The core

My core values are:

• when you have the choice, you should act so as not to constrain someone else's choice of actions; and particularly, not to press them towards doing something against their will, or, most importantly, even against their better judgement.
• you should not break trust
• To make the right decisions, you need correct information, that is, you need to know the truth. Therefore, you should stick to the truth, both in terms of not hiding it from others, and also of not hiding from it yourself.

Non-constraint

Don't use emotional blackmail

to get someone to do something that you want them to do but that they don't want to do; for example, getting someone to treat you in such a way as to enhance your imagined social standing. There are many detailed ramifications of this; it can affect all sorts of minor decisions in quite a practical way.

Don't crowd people

into being ``close'' to you when that's not how they actually feel towards you.

As a basic property right as expressed in the Commandment "Do not steal".

This is because theft means that someone who worked to produce something for themselves, has turned out to have been working to produce something for you, and thus you have appropriated control (retrospectively) over them for the time they took to make it.

Trust

Trust is that by which people can work together; having agreed something between them, one person can then do something on the assumption that the other person will do a particular thing -- for a small example, they can agree to meet at a particular time and place; or, for a larger example, they can agree to be life-long partners.

Truth

It is important to seek truth.

seeking

perseverance

responsibility

thoughtfulness

hesed

trust