I had written this as a new year message and thought would share it here too. 2008 has indeed been an eventful year with a serious impact on how we think about ourselves and the world. My one learning was in preparing for a talk for the Foundation for Restoration of National Values. What are these values, how do we come to acquire them and why do we follow them? All the issues were captured in one simple question: How do I convince my 11 year old nephew to tell the truth? Yes, how? I reflected on my own values, grouping them under three heads: 1. Personal Values: Rationality, Honesty, Integrity; 2. Social Values: Tolerance, Benevolence, Free Exchange; 3. Political Values: Liberty, Rule of Law, Subsidiarity. How did I come to believe in them and practice them? I can’t really decipher among all the varied influences over the whole period of life. It seems that such a critical aspect of our life is left practically to chance. It becomes a serious concern when there are organized groups that preach and practice diametrically opposite values. Or suggest that there are no foundational values at all—relativism and nihilism.