My apologies, I should have worded it differently. I wrote society's values, but trust me when I say I did not mean only that function. I am a staunch individualist, in mores, religion, sexual practice - everything. It was a short answer for a big question.
I agree with you completely and I'm glad you pointed that out.
I believe there to be a baseline for values in society. Some you agree with and some you don't. In the end it's just a baseline, and you take from it what you want. As an inherently good person (not christian good, just an open-ended definition of good), one can take this baseline and run with it, and mesh well within a given society. There are some, however, that take this idea and turn themselves into well, something like a scene out of the SAW series. Those people are fewer than the others, fortunately, but the element obviously exists.
This topic leads to a massive convergence of other topics, such as spirituality, religion, sociology and individual psychology, etc. "Kate" appears to have been banned, so her (assuming gender based on name) continued discussion is not likely LOL.
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We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill
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