Governing Values

The author's example with the 120 foot I beam was a real eye opener. (Let’s imagine that you’re on one building, I’m on the other, the wind’s blowing about forty miles per hour, and I shout through the mist and the wind and say, “Listen, if you’ll walk—not crawl—across this I beam and get here in two minutes, I’ll give you one hundred dollars.” Would you come now?) I answered no. (Now, let’s change the scenario again. I’m not a nice guy anymore. You have a two-year-old
daughter, but I’ve kidnapped her and I’m holding her by the hair over the edge on my side, and I say, “Listen, if you don’t get across that I beam right now, I’ll drop your daughter.” Would you come now?) I answered yes. Even if it meant I would fall to my death, there's no way I would sit idly and watch my child die.

I was surprised by the example of the mother with the down-syndrome child and her answer to crossing the I beam for that child. It's hard to understand her values if we don't put ourselves in her situation.


P: The purpose of this writing is to make us readers take a deeper look at our own personal values. The author wants to make us re-evaluate our morals

T: Hyrum Smith tells readers that every one of us lives our lives according to our own morality. Each of us have set our own governing values that determine how we act.

I: The author held seminars to determine people's governing values and had several experiences where some values differed greatly from others. Does everyone value something enough to risk their own life for?

C: No matter who we are or where we live or what our culture might be, we have governing values that direct our lives. Sometimes people's values will differ, but there is always something that someone will be willing to uphold.