Here's a question to ponder: What is the source of your values?
The question is prompted by a recent Cal Thomas column that revisits the debate about whether our rights, and our laws, come from man or from God.
Thomas begins the column with the John F. Kennedy quote: "... the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God." And, he includes the Declaration of Independence reference to rights "endowed by our Creator."
Followers of the commentator will not be surprised that he lines up behind God. Thomas writes: "When government believes it can create or take away rights it becomes a god not itself and potentially endangers those rights. The only way to preserve them for ourselves and our posterity is to acknowledge they come from a higher place."
The rights and laws cited by Thomas are largely external. Rights are granted to a person; laws are imposed on people to limit and direct their behavior.
People asked about the source of their values tend to credit their faith, their parents, their teachers, etc. - and the commandments, laws and lessons they have created.
In the nature versus nurture debate, values would seem to originate from and be shaped by external forces. But, somehow, they become internalized. People reference values by using the personal pronoun my - as in my beliefs, my moral compass, my core values.
But values determine more than an individual's persona. Because we are social creatures, we form value systems that also help guide behavior in society. Integrity, responsibility, accountability, etc., reveal not only who we are, but how we interact with others.
Value systems vary significantly among individuals, ranging from compassionate and moral to selfish and amoral.
The question about the source of your values does not lend itself to a right or wrong answer.
The values themselves, however, may be right or wrong when measured on the scale of acceptable social behavior.
That's why mental exercises - prompted by questions about rights, laws and values - help keep us fit.