10 Ancient Values for Modern Joy

Sometimes I’m not very smart.

In my search for meaning, joy, and a life well-lived, I often look for new insights, fresh ideas, and novel experiences. But usually the tools I need to achieve those goals have been proclaimed for ages. 

I was reminded of that truth when I read author Randy Woodley’s list of ten values essential to Indigenous wisdom:

• Respect: Respect everyone. Everyone and everything is sacred.
• Harmony: Seek harmony and cooperation with people and nature.
• Friendship: Increase the number and depth of your close friends and family.
• Humor: Laugh at yourself; we are merely human.
• Equality: Everyone expresses their voice in decisions.
• Authenticity: Speak from your heart.
• History: Learn from the past. Live presently by looking back.
• Balance work and rest: Work hard, but rest well.
• Generosity: Share what you have with others.
• Accountability: We are all interconnected. We are all related.

Values like respect, authenticity, and generosity come more naturally to me. Humor, history, and harmony are more of a struggle. But reviewing them all helps me realign my perspective and refocus my personal development efforts.

Which of those values are strengths for you? Which are a struggle? Be honest. Remember no one is perfect. Know that you are not alone. Share your reflections with people you trust. Ask them to share their own. Commit to helping each other grow. Celebrate your (and their) successes. If you do, you’ll find modern joy from these ancient values, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

Randy Woodley, Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth (Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books, 2022), 241–242. As shared in the Feb 10, 2024 Daily Meditation by the Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org)