Page 127 - Bodhayanti Parasparam Vol 8

morality should be seen originally to have been an extrapolation from the customs which are passed down through the generations in a society. For the individual the outputs of moral values are action in the service of others, or support for such action, and living a life that we would like to see emulated by others in what we would then imagine to be a better world. The moral person lives in terms of his or her emotions and needs unless and until this interferes with the rights and interests of others. The four essential value clusters for the moral society are freedom, empathy, truth, and contribution. All are crosscut by and interrelated by a sense of balance. No value, no concept exists that is not worthless or worse when it is treated autonomously or when it is out of balance with others on the same plane.
The most basic of all moral values is truth, for only when we value truth will be able to evaluate what the other values actually mean. Moral values must be taught through the schools and other institutions devoted to the pursuit and dissemination
121