Core Values

Content note: this post includes mentions of difficult subjects including abortion, abuse, cheating.

Everyone has core values. They’re the north by which you set your moral compass, the guiding light by which you make any difficult decision. Core values might be something like, always tell the truth, do no harm, or violence is always wrong.

It’s important to note, though, that not all core values are inherently ethical. Humans are by nature complex and multi-faceted, and what seems morally necessary to one might be morally reprehensible to another. One need look no further than debates about the current Controversial Topic of the Week to see this in action.

I believe, for example, that the absolute inalienable right of a human being to decide what happens to their own body is a necessity for a civilised society. An anti-choice crusader, on the other hand, probably feels with an equal level of conviction that compelling a woman to give birth against her will is morally justified because abortion is always wrong.

In a similar vein, it’s possible for a person’s core values to not go much beyond “do what benefits me the most in any individual situation.” As I said – they’re not always ethical. I once ceased communication with an otherwise attractive and seemingly compatible person on an online dating site when they revealed that they vote for a political party whose policies I find reprehensible, because “they’ve always benefited me personally.” I know people who’ve cheated on their partners because they didn’t see anything wrong with doing whatever it took to get what they wanted, when they wanted it.

But what I want to focus on in this post is the core values of a relationship, rather than an individual. If you have a partner or partners, do you know what yours are? Does your idea of the core values of your relationship match your partner’s? If not, consider discussing it with your partner. Knowing the central tenets crucial to your partnership is vital for a happy and harmonious relationship. Ideally, you should be able to name just two or three things that make up the “bottom line.” They will be different in every relationship depending on the set-up and the individual histories and baggage of the people involved.

I’m not talking about rules as such here. You probably have rules and agreements in your relationship. Core values in a relationship are less about “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not.” They are more about a small number of guiding principles against which any action or decision is weighed. I do not believe that it is possible to have a healthy relationship without core values.

Mine and my nesting partner’s are, simply, as follows:

  • NO LIES. We do not lie to each other. This includes little white lies and lies by omission as well as big, bare-faced lies.
  • NO DOUBLE STANDARDS. Any agreement we make in our relationship applies absolutely equally to both of us.

They sound simple, but they cover an awful lot of ground. Everything else is negotiable – but these two principles underpin it all. To me, they sum up the mutual respect, consideration and equality that is necessary for love to thrive. Any time there’s a big decision to be made or a negotiation to be had, it will be held against these values. If it contradicts either principle, that’s a deal breaker – the thing won’t happen, the agreement won’t be made. We recently rejected an agreement that, on paper, made perfect sense because it would have violated Core Value #2.

Yours are bound to be different, but you need to know what they are.

One of the things that finally made me realise that my previous relationship was abusive was the point at which I realised my core values were being eroded. Causing no harm is a personal core value of mine, and my abusive relationship was pushing me to act in ways that caused notable harm to others, a fact of which I am still deeply ashamed).

And when I look back now, I can see that that relationship had few if any sustainable values of its own – the “bottom line,” such as it was, was He says, I obey. (Which is fine in so far as it goes – as a consensual kink – but it was going on a long time before he collared me and extended far into reaches of my life I’d never agreed to have controlled. It wasn’t kink. I was simply afraid of him). Once I saw that I was not living in accordance with my values and that the relationship did not have a solid value-based framework of its own, I could not unsee those facts and the undoing began.

So what’s the takeaway here? Your partner may have different interests. They may come from a different walk of life. They may have life experiences you have not lived, and vice versa. But if your core values – or the way you view the core values of your relationship – are very different or even opposing, you will probably be in for a very rough ride.

What are the core values in YOUR relationship? Tell me in the comments!