◈Tech. issue:Facebook has a plan to let you type with your brain
◈Political issue:Moon grilled over THAAD, NK in TV debate
------------------------- What is debate?
------------------------- 12 Ways Debating Will Help You for the Rest of Your Life
◈Economic issue:Five measures of growth that are better than GDP
◈ Healthy life: Why Our Personal Values Matter More Than Ever Today
Hope you enjoy the topics.
With luv
Scarlett
Facebook has a plan to let you type with your brain
Jon Swartz , USA TODAY Published 3:32 p.m. ET April 19, 2017
SAN JOSE — There's mind-blowing technology, and then there's brain-computer technologies.
Facebook’s “direct brain interface,” a creation of its secretive Building 8 division, could take tech-enhanced communication to the next level.
Facebook is exploring a silent speech system with a team of more than 60 scientists that would let people type 100 words per minute with their brain. "What if you could type directly from your brain... with the speed and flexibility of voice and the privacy of text?" Building 8 head Regina Dugan said at the second day of Facebook's F8 developer's conference here.
She noted the brain contains about 86 billion neurons and is capable of producing 1 terabyte of information per second. Think of a "brain mass for augmented reality," she said.
The brain-to-text project is a couple years away and would require new, non-invasive sensors to measure brain activity hundreds of times per second, Dugan told USA TODAY after the keynote. A speech prosthetic for people with communication disorders would likely be the first application. "This (project) could be as transformative as the (computer) mouse," she said.
While such a project represents a "huge leap", the implications could be unsettling to consumers, many of whom think Facebook knows too much about their daily habits and actions — let alone their thoughts, says Debra Aho Williamson, a principal analyst at eMarketer.
Facebook is working with scientists, engineers and system integrators from UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who specialize in machine learning methods for decoding speech and language.
"This is about decoding the words you’ve already decided to share by sending them to the speech center of your brain," Dugan said. It would "be crazy amazing" but only a start, she said. One day, one may be able to share their thoughts independent of langua
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown a predilection for telepathy, which he calls "the future of communication." Once virtual reality and augmented reality have run their course, he has theorized, a form of technology-enabled telepathy will help people capture and then share their thoughts and feelings with friends.
Last year, Facebook poached Dugan, who helped shape Google initiatives such as Project Tango (3-D mapping) and Project Ara (tools for building modular smartphones), to head Building 8, a research-and-product-development group considered vital to Facebook's 10-year technology road map.
Dugan's presentation highlighted a keynote devoted to Facebook's future projects in connectivity, artificial intelligence and virtual reality/augmented reality
Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, last month announced the formation of Neuralink, a company that would merge computers with brains to keep up with artificial intelligence. In October, Braintree founder Bryan Johnson invested $100 million in start-up Kernel to build hardware and software to augment human intelligence. One goal is to facilitate communication between brain cells by hacking the “neural code” that lets people store and recall memories and information.
The implications for brain-to-text technology are mind blowing and cautionary, says Joshua Feast, CEO of Cogito, an artificial intelligence and behavioral science company spun out of MIT.
"This has the potential to be the most important application of artificial intelligence," he says. "All AI technologies should be applied as a win-win-win for humans."
"If not," he warns, "they can be scary and creepy."
Article 1 about BRAIN : IBM Is On The Way To Creating A True Artificial Brain.
Human brain is considered to be the most intricate thingin the whole universe: it can simultaneously gather thousands of sensory inputs, interpret them in real time in the whole and react respectively, abstracting, learning, planning and inventing, all on a modest power budget of about 20 W.
With the help of the quickest supercomputer and a new scalable, ultra-low power computer architecture, IBM has recently simulated 530 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses – matching the numbers of the human brain – directed at recreating the actual behavior of a human brain.
Article 2 about BRAIN : Artificial Brain Ten Years Away
A top British professor has told acutting-edge ideasconference he is close to building a replica human brain. Professor Henry Markham told the annual Technology, Entertainment, Design global conference that a working synthetic brain can be built in the next decade. He told his audience: "It is not impossible to build a human brain and we can do it in 10 years." He set himself a challenge by stating that if he succeeded, he would “send a hologram to T.E.D. to talk.” Professor Markram is director of the Blue Brain project, which aims to engineer mammals' brains from laboratory data. He has already had success with creating parts of a rat’s brain. Markham said the human brain was so complex, it was an “almost frightening organ”.
Professor Markham hoped his research would lead to new treatments for mental illnesses. He said: "There are two billion people on the planet affected by mental disorder." Markham believes synthetic brain technology will reduce the need for experiments on animals. "We cannot keep on doing animal experiments forever," he said. This will please many animal rights activists, who say such research is cruel. He hopes to create a kind of “Noah’s Ark” of animal brain models. Professor Markham provided a simple explanation of his work: "It's a bit like going and cataloguing a bit of the rainforest….But it is a bit more than cataloguing because you have to describe and discover all the rules of communication, the rules of connectivity."
Article 3 about BRAIN : Top 10 Biggest Brain Damaging Habits
<Questions>
Q1. When you hear the word "BRAIN", what words or images are popping up ? When you hear about 'Artificial Brain ', What feelings or impression come to in your mind ?
Q2. How do you think about that Facebook envisions using Brain Waves to Type Words?
Q3. Do you think human's brain can be substitute by an artificial brain in the future ?
Q4. If someone try to hack your mind or your brain, how would you react to it? or how would you feel about that?
Q5. Are you concerned about research into artificial body parts? Do you think brain transplants are a good idea ?
Q6. Would you like to see scientists create an artificial person?
Q7. How would you rate the performance of your brain?
Q8. Ifscientist say that they can improve your brain up to the level ofAlbert Einstein's one. Would you have treatment to make you more brainy?
Q9. How can you make your brain smarter? If you have your special skills plz share with us !
Q10. After reading this article, what did you decide not to do anymore to protect your brain?For example, smoking, being quiet and having too much sugar.
WHAT IS DEBATE?
"I may be wrong and you may be right and,
by an effort, we may get nearer the truth."
- Karl Popper -
Debate is a formal contest of argumentation between two teams or individuals. More broadly, and more importantly, debate is an essential tool for developing and maintaining democracy and open societies.More than a mere verbal or performance skill, debate embodies the ideals of reasoned argument, tolerance for divergent points of view and rigorous self-examination. Debate is, above all, a way for those who hold opposing views to discuss controversial issues without descending to insult, emotional appeals or personal bias.A key trademark of debate is that it rarely ends in agreement, but rather allows for a robust analysis of the question at hand. Perhaps this is what French philosopher Joseph Joubert meant when he said: “It is better to debate a question without settling it, than to settle a question without debating it.”
The Karl Popper Debate Format
At the secondary school level, IDEA debaters follow the Karl Popper debate format, which places students in two teams of three members. Teams are presented with a 'resolution', such as “Economic development should be valued above protection of the environment” or “Human genetic engineering is immoral". The team affirming the resolution speaks first. The opposing team then must refute the arguments offered by the affirming team and offer arguments rejecting the resolution. Both sides are given the opportunity to present their positions and to directly question the opposing team. Neutral judges - usually parents or teachers - evaluate the persuasiveness of the arguments and offer constructive feedback on such elements as faulty logic, insufficient evidence and arguments debaters may have overlooked. Debate teams are judged strictly on the merits of their arguments.
Debate and Democracy
Debate is not a forum for asserting absolute truths, but rather a means of making and evaluating arguments that allows debaters to better understand their own and others’ positions. This sense of a shared journey toward the truth brings debaters closer together, even when they represent opposing sides of an issue or come from vastly different cultures or social classes.In so doing, debate fosters the essential democratic values of free and open discussion.
Liberal front-runner caught in crossfire for reserved stance on national security agenda
Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea, the front-runner in the presidential race, came under heavy fire from his rivals during a live televised debate Wednesday.
While conservative candidate attacked Moon over his alleged contact with North Korea about a restrictive United Nations resolution, a progressive contender accused him of being ambiguous about the deployment of a controversial US antimissile battery.
Citizens gathered at Seoul Station watch the presidential candidates' live television debate on Wednesday. Yonhap
The top five presidential aspirants in the May 9 election engaged in their second televised debate since formal campaigning began and the first one to be broadcast live. The previous debate was pre-recorded.
The two-hour debate, hosted by KBS, was marked for its unscripted format, allowing all participants to engage in a free-for-all debate.
The program consisted of two sessions, the former on foreign affairs and national security and the latter on social affairs, the economy, education, and culture. In each session, the candidates were asked a common question, after which they were allowed to challenge each other at will.
The top five presidential aspirants hold one another's hand ahead of their live television debate held Wednesday.
(From left) Sim Sang-jeung of the Justice Party, Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party, Yoo Seong-min of
the Bareun Party, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party. Yonhap
Yoo Seong-min of the conservative Bareun Party was first to turn loose on the liberal front-runner, mostly concerning the dispute that Moon sought Pyongyang’s opinion on a 2007 UN resolution on North Korean human rights ahead of a vote.
“In our last TV debate last week, I asked you six times and you said that (the allegation) was not true, yet earlier in another program back in February, you said yourself that you inquired about the North’s stance through the National Intelligence Service,” the minority conservative runner said, addressing Moon.
The dispute over whether Moon and the former liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration had adopted a pro-North Korean policy has long been a point of difficulty for the liberal candidate, especially since a related story was revealed through the political autobiography of a former foreign minister last year.
“What I did was to have the NIS run its international information network so as to find out how North Korea may react (to the UN resolution),” Moon said, denying any direct contact with Pyongyang.
The biggest issue of the national security debate was the installment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. The US-led antimissile battery is intended to deter North Korea’s nuclear provocations but has also triggered a fierce backlash from neighboring China.
Moon, who earlier opposed to the deployment, recently turned to conditional approval, claiming that the details should be decided by the incoming government.
“I was perplexed by Moon’s expressions such as ‘strategic ambiguity’ or ‘strategic prudence’ as these are words of a critic, not of a political leader,” Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive minority Justice Party, said to Moon.
“As presidential candidate, Moon should first make it clear to the people whether he considers the deployment to be beneficial for national interest.”
She also accused the Democratic Party, the largest negotiating body in the National Assembly, of ambiguity in the initial stages of the dispute.
Sim also turned on Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, who shifted his ground on the issue citing the “rapid change in the situation.”
“In the beginning, I had opposed (THAAD) as the (former) Park Geun-hye administration had damaged the national interest by skipping the communication process,” he said.
“But as North Korea is continuing its military provocations, the deployment has become inevitable, so we should work on persuading China (to stop its economic retaliation).”
Hong Joon-pyo of the hard-line conservative Liberty Korea Party, usually known for his outspoken tone and choice of words, remained relatively reticent on Wednesday, letting others engage in their war of words.
His question to Moon was whether he would, as president, abolish the National Security Law, which includes regulations and sanctions related to support for the communist North Korean regime.
When Moon answered that some of its clauses should be “improved,” Hong argued that Moon had attempted to eradicate the law altogether back in 2003 during his years as presidential chief of staff.
Political inclination, age and occupation define contenders’ core support base
2017-04-19 18:11
With less than three weeks to go to the presidential election, voters in South Korea are being bombarded with public opinion polls providing updates on the state of the race.
From the way things look now, the contest is a duel between liberal standard-bearer Moon Jae-in and centrist Ahn Cheol-soo, with the former leading by a 4-14 percent margin. (Moon garners 40-44 percent of support while Ahn posts 36-37 percent.)
The Korea Herald has taken a look at the latest poll results to identify the core supporter bases of Moon, Ahn and other mainstream party-backed candidates in terms of political inclination, gender, age and occupation.
Moon Jae-in: Under-50s, women and office workers
The frontrunner status of Moon, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, appears to be fueled in large part by younger voters. A recent poll by Gallup Korea showed that 48 percent of those aged between 19 and 29 support Moon, while the figures for voters in their 30s and 40s were 65 percent and 56 percent, respectively.
Realmeter’s survey also showed similar results, with figures for the three age groups ranging from 53 percent to 63 percent.
By occupation, Moon is the favorite of office workers. Surveys show more than half of them prefer Moon. The figure for Moon’s closest rival Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party falls short of 30 percent.
The lawyer-turned-politician also stands out from his peers in his apparent appeal to female voters. Moon is reputed to be popular among younger female voters, and some poll results back up the hearsay. In the most recent Realmeter survey, 47 percent and 42 percent of female and male respondents, respectively, chose Moon.
About two-thirds of voters with progressive political views support Moon, while about 40 percent of centrist voters say that they will vote for the Democratic Party candidate.
Ahn Cheol-soo: Over 50s, conservatives
Ahn’s main supporter base has changed drastically since 2012, going from young liberals and centrists to older conservatives.
Recent polls show that Ahn has the most support from those over the age of 50. In 2012, those aged between 19 and 39 were his main supporters.
Recent Gallup polls showed that over 50 percent of those older than 50 support Ahn. Similar results were shown in a poll conducted by Realmeter, in which 44.5 percent of those in their 50s picked Ahn, while 58 percent of voters over the age of 60 preferred him over other candidates.
In a race lacking a strong conservative contender, nearly half of conservative voters responding to polls picked Ahn. In comparison, only about a quarter of those who identify themselves as conservative say that they will vote for Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party or the Bareun Party’s Yoo Seong-min.
The conservatives and the leftwing crusader
Perhaps predictably, Hong’s largest support come from those older than 60. In the recent Gallup poll, 20 percent of those aged 60 or more said that they would vote for the former South Gyeongsang Province governor, while the Realmeter figure came to 15.1 percent. Figures for other age groups fell below 10 percent.
As for Yoo, his ratings remain at one of the lowest seen for a party-backed conservative at under 5 percent, and polls show no clear support group for the Bareun Party candidate.
The situation for former labor activist Sim Sang-jeung of the Justice Party is similar to that of Yoo. Her supporters are few in number, and her track record puts them on the fence about whether they would maintain their support on the voting day.
In her third presidential bid, Sim has declared that she will see her campaign to the end but her ratings hover around 3 percent. In addition, a large chunk of her small number of supporters say that they could vote for another candidate depending on the situation. In her previous attempts, her campaign was merged with those of other progressive candidates.
12 Ways Debating Will Help You for the Rest of Your Life
St. John’s-Ravenscourt | January 11, 2016
Reasoning, research and even public speaking skills are just some of the positives behind learning how to be a great debater. From planning your argument (even if you don’t agree with it) to choosing your words wisely, debating will help you take on whatever life chooses to throw at you.
Debating is by no means the same as entering into a full-on argument. In fact, you will need to develop a succinct, effective argument, which will gain you support and kudos, rather than blindly attacking your opponent.
From Cicero to Churchill, history’s great debaters have helped shape the world we live in and resolve many of society’s issues. Here are 12 ways that debating can help you in your life for years to come.
1. Be a better critical thinker
While you might not debate on a day-to-day basis, chances are you will get involved in small disagreements and differences of opinion. Debating, instead of arguing, can help you defuse a rapidly escalating situation. Rather than raising your voice, take a step back and choose your words wisely.
Debating helps you to develop essential critical thinking skills – the ability to make reasoned and well thought out arguments in addition to questioning the evidence behind a particular stance or conclusion. Critical thinking will help you become curious about new ideas while also retaining a level of scepticism and building a healthy attitude to questioning. It will also help you to become more humble – well, you can’t be right all the time!
2. Articulate your thoughts
Ever had that feeling when you just can’t get your words out quickly enough? Debating can help you become even better at explaining a whole variety of topics. From explaining complex mathematical equations to the plotline of your favourite book, debating helps you to identify your audience and choose the appropriate tone. Too formal a tone will only alienate you from your listeners, while being too relaxed might undermine your own arguments. The ability to articulate and plan your thoughts is key in debating, producing a well- planned out and sharp argument.
3. Education is key
In any debate the argument matters, even if you don’t agree with it on principle. The manner in which you deliver your winning speech is also incredibly important: keeping calm and maintaining eye contact are all proven as effective debating techniques. Last but not least is the method in which you put your debate together. Are your arguments coherent? Do they make sense?
A good debater will keep all of these in mind in addition to the core elements they have acquired through education (reading and finding sources, writing and drafting a speech, speaking confidently and being able to listen) – useful both inside and outside the classroom.
4. Think on your feet
Think outside of the box, challenge your opponent and be ready to identify any loopholes in their counter-argument. The ability to think on your feet and respond to questions and comments is essential while debating – hesitating could cost you precious time and points. In fact, the ability to think on your feet could stand you in good stead in any situation which life throws at you, when time is of the essence and a decision needs to be made fast.
5. Conflict resolution
A good debater will remain focused and won’t stray from the issue they are discussing. Just like any successful orator, remember who it is you want to keep on side, and present a personable argument – you will appear instantly much more amenable and likeable.
Knowing how to lose graciously and accept your failings are important skills, both in debating and during everyday life. This will also help resolve any conflicts before they have a chance to begin. So, accept any criticism that comes your way. It will make you a much more polished and proficient speaker – and human being – in the long term.
6. Show some empathy
A successful speaker will always maintain a degree of empathy while debating – you might not believe in what you have been assigned, but empathy will help you understand and accept the beliefs of others. Nobody is asking you to agree with the other party’s argument, but empathy is an important life skill, helping you to improve your relations on a personal and professional level.
7. Keep your emotions in check
A good debater will also remember to retain an element of poise and composure – addressing the issue rather than getting carried away emotionally. In fact, managing your emotions will not only stand you in good stead while debating. It is no easy skill to manage, but will gain you respect in every walk of life.
8. Construct meaning out of complex situations
Debating will also help you learn how to construct meaning out of, what are usually, rather complex topics. From world peace to banning nuclear energy, taking the time to research the subject and carefully construct the points you want to make will help you construct a better argument.
Finding solutions to a previous problem and compiling creative solutions and ideas are also key skills for any good debater. Thinking outside of the box and making the best of a bad situation are excellent traits to have, meaning you are prepared and ready to take on any challenge, no matter what the size.
9. Presentation skills
Presentation plays a crucial part in how others perceive you as an individual, and more importantly, as competition.
Consider what you are going to say, speak slowly and with clear enunciation. It will make for better reasoning and a clearer understanding of what you say. Good presentation skills will earn you instant respect both while debating and in future situations.
10. Confidence boost
Good presentation skills will also help boost confidence – helping you to shine at interviews or work related events. If you are confident you feel more able to take on increased responsibility and even take some risks – helping you to stand out as an individual. A polished overall presentation and confident speaking manner will make you a memorable individual.
11. Be more socially conscious
Debating is a skill which requires any individual to be much more politically and socially aware of current affairs. In fact, debating also requires you to address a whole range of diverse social issues and viewpoints. Being more socially and politically aware is not only important while debating but it will also ensure that you connect and relate better to others, both socially and in the workplace.
12. An expanded worldview
Debating not only touches on political and social topics, it can also help individuals acquire a totally different worldview too. Debating means students study topics that they wouldn’t normally consider, meaning they have a deeper understanding of the society and the world which we live in. An expanded worldview also encourages students to be proud of their talents and achievements, in addition to being more appreciative of the opportunities that await them.
Being more conscious of the world we live in will stand you in good stead for the future – even if you don’t win the debate this time.
____________________
This article was sponsored by St John’s-Ravenscourt School. Over the last 28 years, students at the Canadian school have been named World Debating Champion on 14 occasions. Students of all ages and skill levels practice various forms of debate and travel across the country and the world competing.
Read more at https://www.studyinternational.com/news/12-ways-debating-will-help-you-for-the-rest-of-your-life/#WguAVbhDMVdeioip.99
<Questions>
Q1. Did you watch presidential candidates' debate program? Who was the most impressive discussant ? Why?
Q2. What is the main purpose of debate? In this perspective, do you think each presidential candidate understand the intrinsic meaning of debate well? In this perspective who was the best and who was the worst?
Debate and Democracy
Debate is not a forum for asserting absolute truths, but rather a means of making and evaluating arguments that allows debaters to better understand their own and others’ positions.This sense of a shared journey toward the truth brings debaters closer together, even when they represent opposing sides of an issue or come from vastly different cultures or social classes.In so doing, debate fosters the essential democratic values of free and open discussion.
Q3. How do you think about the each candidate's supporter's attitude on the debate?
Q4. Why do we need education for skillful debating culture?
Q5. What is the strength and weakness of each candidate ?
Q6. What is the critical roles of a excellent leader?
Q7. Are you a good debater?
Q8. What would be the advantages of good debating skills? Please reference below 12 merits suggested by above article.
1. Be a better critical thinker
2. Articulate your thoughts
3. Education is key
4. Think on your feet
5. Conflict resolution
6. Show some empathy
7. Keep your emotions in check
8. Construct meaning out of complex situations
9. Presentation skills
10. Confidence boost
11. Be more socially conscious
12. An expanded worldview
Five measures of growth that are better than GDP
19 Apr 2016/ Stewart Wallis/ Independent Thinker, Speaker and Advocate for a New Economic System
New Economics Foundation (NEF)
GDP is like a speedometer: it tells you whether your economy is going faster or slower. As in cars, a speedometer is useful but doesn’t tell you everything you want to know. For example, it won’t tell you whether you are overheating, or about to run out of fuel.
Above all, the speedometer doesn’t tell you whether or not you’re going in the right direction. If you suggest to a car driver that you might be on the wrong road, and the response is “then we must go faster”, you might think that’s pretty stupid. Yet this is what happens whenever complaints about the state of the economy elicit a commitment to boost growth.
So what is the right direction for a modern economy? That’s a relatively easy question to answer: when you ask people, they say much the same things. A good economy meets everyone’s basic needs. It means people are healthy and happy with life. It avoids storing up potential sources of long-term trouble, such as extreme inequality and environmental collapse.
It is, of course, entirely possible for an economy to go faster and faster without getting closer to meeting these goals – indeed, while heading in the opposite direction.
Now the trickier part. What would be the economic equivalent of a compass? We need to measure the direction of economic travel in a way that’s comparable to how GDP measures its speed – easy to communicate, and amenable to being influenced by policy decisions.
The New Economics Foundation (NEF), where I was the Executive Director until December 2015, proposed five indicators in an October 2015 report. Imagine them arrayed like dials on a dashboard that you can glance at for an overall picture, as well as study in more detail if you want. Why five? It’s hard to capture everything that matters in one metric, and psychological research demonstrates that people struggle to hold more than five things in their heads at once.
1. Good jobs.
Employment statistics tell us what proportion of people have jobs. They don’t tell us what proportion of those with jobs are paid too little to afford a decent standard of living, or worry about whether they’ll still have work next month.
According to UK government figures, 94% of people were in work in 2014 – up nearly two percentage points in four years. However, the NEF calculated that only 61% were in secure jobs paying a living wage – down a similar amount in the same period.
2. Wellbeing.
A growing economy is not an end in itself – it’s a means to improving people’s lives. Few would disagree that the ultimate aim of public policy is wellbeing; we care about GDP because we assume it means more wellbeing. So why not also measure wellbeing directly?
The validity of research into measuring wellbeing, by asking people about their life satisfaction, is now widely accepted. Such measures capture a range of things that people care about and that policies can influence – from income and health to housing and social connections.
Some governments do measure life satisfaction, including the UK (it increased from 7.4 to 7.6, on a scale of 0-10, in the four years to 2014). However, it remains at the margins of policymaking.
3. Environment.
The NEF propose a national indicator of lifestyle-related carbon emissions, relative to an allocation calculated from global targets for avoiding dangerous levels of climate change.
In four years, the UK’s position deteriorated from using 91% of its allocation to 98%. As climate is a global problem, this indicator is effectively a measure of responsible global citizenship.
4. Fairness.
Research increasingly shows that high income inequality has negative social consequences, while casting doubt on the idea that it incentivises hard work.
Comparing the average incomes of the top and bottom 10%, inequality in the UK has been worsening by an average of 0.8% a year for the last four years.
5. Health.
The NEF proposes “avoidable deaths” as a simple, easily-understandable measure that captures the quality of health interventions – not only treatment, but also prevention.
Here, the UK shows a positive trend, but with plenty of room for further improvement – the latest figures suggest 23% of deaths need not have happened.
The NEF designed these measures with the United Kingdom in mind, working with the UK’s Office of National Statistics. But they are, in principle, just as meaningful for other countries.
The shortcomings of GDP, as a measure of what we want from an economy, are not a new discovery. The NEF and others have been making the case for years. But while various proposals for alternatives have engaged the interest of policymakers and technocrats, they have not yet taken hold among politicians.
That’s understandable: any politician who suggests new ways to judge their performance is also creating new ways to fail, and many policies that will pay long-term dividends on these indicators will also impose short-term costs.
More broadly, there remains a reluctance to move away from viewing economics as a hard, mathematical science, and accept the need to incorporate more of a social science mindset. In effect, we need another value shift in economics, comparable to those that shaped the last century – Kenyesianism and neoliberalism.
However, while the problems with the current economic system are increasingly widely appreciated, we still lack a compelling, coherent, simple alternative narrative. I hope these indicators can help that narrative to develop.
Q2. Do you think our GDP index good enough to measure the growth of our nation?
Q3. Which one do you weigh more between the speed and the direction?
Q4. What is the required value for our society between two concepts, speed and direction?
Q5. What is the integral component of growth in terms of personal perspective? How about the components of national growth ?
Q6. Among 5 ingredients suggested by this article, what is the top 3 crucial factors for real growth of nation?
Why Our Personal Values Matter More Than Ever Today
Heather Poole/ Technical writer
What’s important to you? Your morning coffee? Making time to walk your dog? Getting that assignment to your boss on time? Okay, but what’s valuable to you? According to Atlantic Magazine, 7 out of 10 Americans say people’s values have been getting worse in America over the past decade.[1] What are your personal values?
What Are Values?
Your values are a testament to your true self, because they are what matter most to you when it comes to personal and professional life. Your values influence that little voice in your head that tells you whether or not to care about something, and how you should prioritize your time. Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work.[2]
Your core values help determine what you truly want out of life, while simultaneously acting as the measuring stick you use to tell if you’re satisfied with your current situation and living in a meaningful way. Core values define who we are while helping us find our purpose. Here’re a few good examples of the core value words:[3]
Reliability
Dependable
Respectful
Loyal
Committed
Teamwork
Caring
Adventuros
Efficient
Listening
Diversity
Humility
Some of these values are instilled in you from childhood. They can be cultural or learned through watching your family and hearing their discussions about things they’re passionate about.
Perhaps now, in adulthood, you realize you’re passionate about those same things. It’s not a bad thing to share core values with those around you, but it can be detrimental to live a life that doesn’t honor those values.
How Do Core Values Affect Our Day-to-day Decisions?
We make decisions based on our values every day, but we sometimes forget about the important decisions we face, big and small, and the potential stress those choices can create.
When you can identify your values and make choices that align with them, life suddenly becomes a little easier. But when you’re running on autopilot and not allowing your values to coincide with your choices, you can find yourself becoming incredibly unhappy, and maybe you don’t know why.
Discovering your core values don’t help with huge aspects alone, they also impact seemingly small things, too. Remember that thing you bought that you didn’t really need, but you just felt like having? You made the decision that spending money wisely was not valuable to you. But is that truly how you feel? Now it’s the end of the month and bills are due. Perhaps it would be really helpful to have that money back, so it’s created stress. That disconnect stems from living a life that doesn’t correlate with your core values.
When you begin to make those choices that seem small at the time knowing what you find valuable, you begin to feel less stress in other aspects of your life. This has a snowball effect, and leads to continued better choices and prolonged stress-free existence. And the best part is, there’s no hard work needed, just some introspection and self-awareness. And if simply sitting alone for a few minutes could impact the rest of your life in a positive way, wouldn’t it be worth it? After all, knowing your values make important decisions, like accepting a job, starting a business, or making a big change, much easier.
How Do We Find Out Our Personal Core Values?
Core values are important to us. By figuring out the things which matter to us most, we can lead a better life. Here’re two ways to find out your personal core values:
- Start with what you already know about yourself; your morals.
Knowing your core values can certainly sync up with your morals. After all, your values have a direct impact on your standards of behavior.
Think about it: if it is morally important to you to arrive at your workplace and focus on nothing but work on company time, it will also be true that being an honest and efficient employee is a value you carry to every job you occupy.
Maybe you’re the kind of partner who puts their phone away when on a date. This probably means you are a morally loyal person and want to ensure your partner knows you value time with them. This is a strong indication that, as a core value, you put relationships first and work hard to show people you care. You could easily list respect and commitment to your list of personal core values.
- Your own experience will be your best tool in realizing what’s valuable to you.
For instance, think back to a time you were the happiest. Why were you so happy? Was the fulfilment you felt due to other people? Who were they? Think about when you were proud of yourself, and why you felt that pride. Your own experiences can shine great light on what you hold important.
And don’t be afraid to look ahead; what values do you want to exemplify to your children? If you want others to value it, it’s valuable to you.
What Should I Do With My Core Values?
Just sit down and make a list of what comes to mind, and let yourself explore those core values words. There is no set limit on how many values you can have, but allow yourself to list as many as you can.
- Prioritize Your Values
If you wind up with 20 words, consider crossing out those that barely made the list and prioritize your values.
Personal development blogger Steve Pavlina suggested identifying the top value, then the second highest value, and so on until you’ve rebuilt the list in order of priority from the top to the bottom.[4] As you’re trying to prioritize the values, have this question at the back of your mind: if I have to choose from these, which one go first and which one I can live without?
Some of the words may easily float to the top, where as others might stump you. Allow that to happen and accept that it aids in teaching you who you are.
- Look To Your Values Every Day
Once you’ve determined what your values are, it’s vital to look to them every day. We all face challenging situations and decisions, and Sam Whittaker put it best when he wrote,[5]
All [people] are thrust into tough situations from time to time…situations where the right thing to do isn’t obvious. Knowing which values are most important to you before these situations arise will help make you make better decisions.
So, let your values be valuable to you. Everyone is on their own path, and no one can tell you what your core values are but you.
- Don’t Be Afraid To Rework Your List In Future
When you realize your values and begin to live by them, you may find that not all of them are as important as you believed. Rework your list! You’re allowed to consciously change your values over and over again.
You are not your values. You are the thinker of your thoughts, but you are not the thoughts themselves. Your values are your current compass, but they aren’t the real you.[6]
Remember: Your values should aid in creating your best life, and your most authentic self. You make the rules. Be patient with yourself and dedicate the time to discovering your core values. You’ll be amazed at the things you can accomplish.
References
[1]^The Atlantic: 21 Charts That Explain American Values Today
[2]^MindTools: What Are Your Values?
[3]^ContentSparks: Big List of Core Value Words
[4]^Steve Pavlina: Living Your Values Part 1
[5]^Sam Whittaker: How to Define Your Personal Values