Throughout the course of human history, people have wondered what, if anything, we should be striving towards. Are there certain values that we should work to solidify? Or should we aspire to do only what we feel like doing, regardless of personal values that may come into conflict with our transient desires? The pluralistic approach would be to argue that anything a person wishes to do is valid and should therefore be promoted. However, are there ever times in which we must reasonably deduce what is in our overall best interest in the long run instead of acquiescing to “the moment”?

To answer this question, we can invoke a spin-off of the prisoner’s dilemma in which we play against ourselves. On the one hand, we have core values that we would ideally like to uphold, and on the other we have our natural urges that we simultaneously wish to satisfy. So who wins?

Imagine a case in which I hold the value not to smoke cigarettes, but I also love smoking cigarettes every chance I get. Since it is impossible to know whether I will have “a better time” in the moment if I smoke or don’t smoke before the moment actually occurs, then it is more logical to uphold my value not to smoke. Thus, the fifty-fifty chance of my being happier with either decision is not actually so equal, since I would have to give up my value of not smoking for the possibility of having a good time. Moreover, if I ended up having a bad time after smoking, then I would essentially lose twice, since I would both be giving up my values and having a bad time.

So we can agree that if one has values that are important to him or her, then, logically, he or she will be better off fulfilling them. But is our ideal to have values at all? And does a value really exist if it constantly changes based on the situation?

To address the first question, think about what type of character you wish to cultivate and, beyond that, what type of society you hope to foster and be a member of. While this discussion of values does not require them to be absolute (in the Kantian sense that, for instance, you should tell the truth in every situation regardless of negative consequences), who are you if you do not at least possess standards of conduct for which you hold yourself responsible?

The ancient Greek philosophers spoke adamantly about the need to cultivate a moral character so as to serve as a positive, contributing citizen to the state. If, as may be the case, we are currently living in a world in which most people care more about their own individual wellbeing than that of the entire state (or even of the community), it is still crucial to recognize that, as humans, we are inherently social beings. We necessarily rely on others for help in attaining our own ends. The individual is thus better off maintaining certain values (perhaps of truth, fairness, a degree of tolerance, et cetera), so that other people will desire to help him or her in the realization of his or her ends.

Now, does a value persist as a value if it changes depending on situational and societal context? The logical answer is yes, for the value itself never changes. The better, and more difficult, question to answer is whether I am upholding the value if I deviate from it based on a particular situation. For instance, if it becomes too difficult to maintain the value, then do I no longer hold values if I decide to renege that one? To use the previous example, perhaps I need nicotine patches to help me quit smoking; however, there are none in my area, which makes it incredibly difficult for me not to smoke a cigarette. What kind of person am I if I cannot uphold one of my central values?

In the grand scheme of things, breaking one value probably does not make much of a difference in one’s everyday life; but, given serious introspection, such a break may lead to the acknowledgment of a personal shortcoming that requires attention. A natural reaction to the thought of finding a personal weakness is to deny that the value ever held that much weight. But that cop-out only goes so far. The individual must make a conscious decision whether or not he or she will excavate deeper into him or herself to discover the reasons for upholding a particular character.

No one can explain to you why you believe certain things or hold certain principles to be central to your identity and wellbeing—only you can. But it requires work and constant refinement, which can only grow from earnest introspection into what you value and what kind of character you wish to cultivate.