EY Y03 L29 Family Values

  1. Our parents are responsible for trying to pass on their values to us while we are young. What values did your parents pass on to you?
  2. How do these values influence your decisions and your actions in your everyday life?
  3. Are there any values or beliefs that your parents tried to teach you but you just didn’t agree with?
  4. What is a belief that other people don’t seem to value that you think is very important?
  5. Do you have children of your own? If so, what values have you tried to pass on to them? Have they been receptive? If not, are there any values that you think are absolutely essential to teach to young children?
  6. How have values changed in society? Do you think society is losing its values? What traditional values are not as important today as they once were?

Question 1

My parents always taught me to be brave and independent. We traveled to many different countries since when I was in preschool. My dad particularly emphasized to me how finding your way of doing things will get you far in life.

Question 2

Being here in Japan and having lived in multiple different countries is a reflection of the values that my parents taught me. I tend to go out of my comfort zone and try out things that most people are afraid of to challenge myself and grow both as a person and a lifelong learner.

Question 3

My mom always told me that if you maximize your time and do all the hard work now, life will get easier later. I agree with this value to some degree, however, I do believe that we also need to relax and do the things that we love doing from time to time.

Question 4

I think so many people refuse to believe that starting something or taking a step towards something needs to be done at a specific time; a time when you're 100% ready. I believe that you're never truly ready for anything in life. Getting our ducks in a row requires so much time that we might end up wasting it.

Question 5

I don't have any children but I have a pretty good idea of the kind of values that I will "plant" in them so that they're visible when they grow. One of them is to find and pursue the one thing that they're passionate about. It is ok to not know what your purpose is at different stages in your life, but it's not ok to not be in constant search of it.

Question 6

I think many values that are related to communication and empathy have changed a lot for the worse. We live in a "heads-down" society, which means that people tend to make their smartphones the center of their lives. It's sad to see couples in restaurants sitting in "face-to-face" while their faces never meet each other. They scroll through Instagram and Twitter instead of communicating and letting each other know what's been happening with their lives.

Tough Vocabulary