Your morals and values are two highly valuable parts of what make up who you are. No two individuals have exactly the same views of morality in certain situations and may similarly have different values that they treasure. It is important to distinguish between morals and values because of the central role these two different ideas play in any and every person’s character.

In my view, morals in general tend to be closer to natural instinct. There is no textbook that every person reads as a child and learns morality from - though I have no doubt that many academics have tried to describe a theory of morality. We learn morality from our parents and from our own perceptions of right and wrong. Of course, morals differ from culture to culture and across religions but underneath the teachings and practices, they remain fundamentally the same. Why is it wrong to murder someone? Why is it wrong to steal? The answers to these questions all drift towards the naturally instinctive response - “because it is wrong”. How do we know it is wrong? Well, we are taught by our parents (as we teach our children) the difference between right and wrong. Often personal experience is a strong teacher of morals. No doubt you have experience that horrible sense of guilt when you have done something that isn’t morally right - or at least morally questionable. You feel terrible. Your guilt seems driven by something deeper. And it is. Morals are deeply ingrained in your character, guiding your actions, thoughts, and considerations. The point I would drive here is that you can’t relearn your sense of morals, that natural instinctive response to situations.

Values, on the other hand, are closer to ideals. That is, values are the stuff of ancient myths, fables, bed-time stories, and religious scripture - things that we are taught from an early age. The stories of Hercules and Hades and the Boy Who Cried Wolf, to name just two examples, primarily teach values. Hercules demonstrates his valor by gallivanting to the rescue of damsels in distress and saving the town from demons and monsters that would destroy them. The Boy Who Cried Wolf teaches us that we should not lie to seek attention because if we do, when we really need someone’s help they may not believe us because we lied in the past. Values are fairly easily identifiable too. It is not difficult to recognize a person who has strong values such as courage, loyalty, honesty, and trustworthiness. Values which make up your character is almost a personal choice. We see elements of values we respect in role models and consciously emulate them until they become second nature. However, values differ from morals in that they can be taught or re-learnt and we can prioritize which values we wish to hold. 

Morals and values are an essential part of life and our interaction with the people in our world. More and more events on the news -like wars, genocide, and suicide bombings, and more often than not, explicit music videos call into question our morals and values. The question is, are our instinctive morals being compromised or are our learned values under attack?