Introduction: Family values: planning the family parents

"To what degree can we make our values statements fit together as a system?" Perhaps, we can do it the same way that the management system does it: Each value helps clarify the others, together they are "healthy" enough to radically reduce present problems, and be recognizable enough to be seen in the everyday behavior of our children, in ourselves, and in others.

2C.  DOES ANYTHING ELSE CHANGE?

In the case of values, the changes that result are both internal to the designer or designers, as well as have an impact on the world at large. It is at this point that we began to formulate each value, to put values into words, to keep those that appear necessary, and delete those that are redundant or superfluous.

2D.  IS THE NEW PLAN CLEAR?

Clarity, at the design level, is evaluated by being able to classify past daily activity behavior in terms of the set of values created. When finished, we should be able to see our values in terms of instances of activity behavior and their consequences, or see our instances as a member of our values. Implementation will be something else again.

3.  SELECT A SOLUTION

3A.  WHAT CONSEQUENCES COULD OCCUR?

Selecting a family values solution is not easy. If we actually go through our selected Documents of Democracy, we will not have a single plan but a bunch of notes that we have to piece together in order to create a coherent statement document that reflects our set of values. Remember to keep trying. Plans evolve in the making. Yet, there is no perfect plan because our sense of quality changes, so eventually we seek better ways, better plans. Plans are our guides. Without them, we would live in chaos.

There comes a time when we have these value statements clear enough to be accepted as a plan by ourselves, and, hopefully, by those in our immediate group. At this point, we begin by applying the statements to the design and execution of everyday activities. These statements represent the "strategic life plan" for our group.

At the same time, we should expect to classify and, thus, react in new ways relative to how others behave towards us and our loved ones. In other words, we should expect to see new emotional, access, and restructuring consequences emerge. The total aim of (3a) is to try to anticipate what these consequences will be. Yet, it is only a guess. At the design level, one is never very clear about the consequences that will emerge. Life is full of what most call