Reflect on the process we have been through in exploring values. What things do you value that others don’t? Why do you value these? What things didn’t you know you valued? After the auction were you surprised at some of the things some students valued? Were boys and girls different? How? What were some things you wanted to buy and couldn’t? What were things you think your parents valued and you valued as well? What have you learnt about values from this process?
In the English class, we played auction. Each of us were given 1000$. What we had to buy were values. What I valued were ‘looking good’, ‘being strong’, ‘getting educated’, ‘never getting mixed up with drugs’, ‘avoiding sexually transmitted diseases’, and ‘traveling around the world’. It seems like I value personal worth. ‘Looking good’ and ‘being strong and educated’ make a person better. I always desire to be a better person so that these values are apparently worth for me. ‘Never getting mixed up with drugs’, and ‘avoiding sexually transmitted diseases’ are the values which keep myself in safe. Most people would not want to be in a bad condition. ‘Traveling around the world’, which is really beautiful dream, is my wish. Most people might wish to traveling around and see the world. Values which community related are not valuable for me such as ‘feeling safe in a community’. I was surprised when one of my friend bought ‘living according to my religious beliefs’. That friend might consider his religion really valuable and important. Surprisingly, what boys valued and girls valued were different. Most of boys competed to get the value ‘being strong and muscular’, which the price went to 1000$. It is because that most of men desire muscle which is the men’s pride since humans started to hunt. Girls wanted the value ‘having a child when I’m old enough to support one’. Normally, moms pay more attention than fathers do especially in Asia. Therefore women naturally and eventually expect their children to be able to support them. The one that people competed most was ‘traveling around the world’. Apparently most of the students involved the competition to get that value. Experiencing new thing that you’ve never known before, which is traveling, caused my curiosity, may be one of the basic wants for most of humans. Once I’m a boy, I wanted to get ‘being physically strong and muscular’ and ‘traveling around the world’, however I couldn’t buy them. Both of the values were sold for 1000$ and it was after I spent some money for ‘looking good’. Surprisingly, my parents value among the values that I bought. It’s ‘getting my high school diploma’. Of course, most parents wish their children to get great score from school and my parents also do so. ‘Finding work that I really like’ was the other one that parents chose although I don’t value. What I’ve learnt from this auction activity is that ‘values’ are slightly different for each person although there were some similarities between the same gender, culture or age.
ES english minsub 