[This article was submitted by Raga S. Elim, Chairman, Kiwanis Capital District Committee on International Understanding and is printed with permission of the author. The article was recently written by Pierre Casimir, a high school student at Athenee Royale, in Belgium, with the hope that it will be published in a Kiwanis Publications in the United States. - Ed.]

Essay: The Values of Kiwanis Club
by Pierre Casimir - Athénée Royal de Boitsfort

People come together in different ways at the international level, united by the same ideas, to defend human values and to try to serve society. These individuals firmly believe that human moral values are the very foundation of a better world and they decide to devote time, through each one of their actions, to promote these values and to pass them on to the younger generations.

This conception calls for the definition of human moral values and how they lead to a better society and a peaceful world.

One can give a series of examples of human values: solidarity, generosity, justice, tolerance, honesty. All these are altruistic concepts which indicate an interest on the part of some for the welfare of individuals who are their partners in the community. From a general point of view, these are the moral principles which represent the truth, the beautiful, the good, and serve as a reference to a part of the population.

Thus, every one would agree readily that they constitute the foundations of a better society, but when it comes to scrupulously following the precepts which derive form these values, there are only a few who show themselves to be capable of following them. Therefore, one may ask, why these ideas whose good sense is so evident, are nevertheless embraced with so much difficulty in human societies.

To offer an element of response to this, it is important to keep in mind that out of sheer pride, Man has always considered himself to be different, and superior to animals. But the fact is that he is subject to the same basic natural laws: he has to survive and reproduce. When we observe the animal world, we see for example, that in a nest of birds, the strongest and the liveliest chick will be better fed, whereas the weakest bird will die at the end, a prey to domination by the others.

Of course, this example is rather elementary in the face of complexity of animal world and the complexity of the problem. And yet, the same rules of natural selection are operative on more evolved systems and also on human societies.

But for Man, thanks to his capabilities of thinking, imagination, and intelligence, there is an additional vital preoccupation: pursuit of happiness. And an individual's happiness is intimately linked with that of the whole community. But the fact is that a society's happiness cannot be achieved unless each individual devotes himself to the society, assumes a function in it, and shows concern about its positive evolution. From that, a whole series of moral principles flow - human values - which have been developed by thinkers of all societies during the course of history. From the antiquity onwards, they have been taken up, at least partly, in a number of philosophical works which form the basis of great ideologies, particularly in sacred books of various religions: the Bible, the Torah, the Quran…

Thus, human moral values originate in Man's thinking process in pursuit of greater happiness.

In the course of one's social life, acting under the "Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is an exemplary application. In fact, it encompasses by itself a number of values: respect, tolerance, generosity, honesty…which on its own justifies its application in everyday life. And more specifically, it is also essential in the exercise of certain professions, among those that of medicine. The fact is that every doctor is led by his conscience to have to weigh the pros and cons of tests and operations which he's going to administer to his patients. He needs to act as he would do for himself or for a member of his family.

Thus it is with the nobility of service rendered, in this case: attempts to preserve the health of an individual which is an indispensable condition of his happiness (according to the World Health Organization) - it's in this that we see the evidence of contribution of human moral values to the welfare of society.

It's useful to point out that their application is universal and they shouldn't be limited to relations between individuals. They should also apply to relations between neighborhoods, regions, nations, cultural communities…

Furthermore, a reflection on values is interesting and enriching in various aspects. It is, in fact, a philosophical reflection on the nature of Man and on the pursuit of happiness. This reflection gives birth to new interests, new knowledge. And every bit of knowledge, every detail helps us complete our vision of the world, allows us to better place ourselves in it and through it, to give a purpose to our life. Moreover, the sum of new knowledge and ideas allow us to better understand the relative importance of everything and it urges us to move towards humility as well as altruism.

On the contrary, material values focus attention of the individual to himself, to his possessions, and in this manner they are the opposite of altruism. Furthermore, material values don't call for this effort of reflection, of introspection, and of questioning which is so enriching. That's why it is important to insure the primacy of human and spiritual values over material values, which are a reflection of degrading selfishness.

Finally, if reflecting on moral values is interesting, it's particularly so for the young adults at the dawn of their social life, so that they become responsible and insure peace, justice and balance.