Love is more productive than hate.
Empathy is more unifying than self-centeredness.
Generosity is more freeing than stinginess.
Kindness is more healthy than indifference.
Justice is more efficient than bias.
These are values that we should lean into regardless of the circumstances or facts.
Facts change. Every day we learn more about our world, our universe, even ourselves. What we thought we knew 50 years ago turns out to be incomplete. What we couldn’t imagine yesterday becomes ubiquitous today.
Changing facts may alter how we approach applying our values in varying circumstances.
But, when we thoughtfully apply our values, instead of deciding based on facts alone (or even worse, deciding based on what we wished the facts were), we tend to end up in a better place.
We are at our best when we allow values to guide our interpretation of facts. Not the other way around.