The world today seems awash with many leaders who act as though they never had any early teaching about values such as respect, compassion, decency, truth and the ability to treat others as they would like to be treated.

Although this has been a part of history for centuries, with millions suffering and dying, it is still amazing that sound core values are often bypassed in a climate of ruthless conduct, which makes one wonder what some of the old grandmothers would be saying about events these days.

While the spotlight on such conduct is highly focused on events in the United States of America at present, there are several countries across the globe where the issue of decent values is lost in a haze of violent confusion between those clinging to power and those seeking freedom and justice at great risk — knowing that in some areas even the free press are unable to trace developments owing to continuing violence.

A tragic factor in such conditions is that children suffer and often die without ever knowing the beauty of good family values, which hold the potential to make life a wonderful experience for all.

To some, it may seem outdated to focus on good values rather than financial gain or political power. There is nothing wrong with economic achievement or gaining significant political status, but along the way if decent values are pushed under the bus, such success could be hallow, and it could be only a matter of time before the real picture emerges.

There will always be those who resent anyone who has the audacity to reject their ruthless objectives to secure power for only those who think as they do. It is a deeply disturbing situation for many nations striving to improve conditions, and to move away from hatred and bigotry, which remains a problem across much of the planet.

While comprehending all of this, it certainly does not seem out of order to reflect on values taught by grandmothers, who are armed with unshakeable values gained through tough times they knew would not last for ever.

Some of us still remember hearing: “You better not let Grandma find out you did that.”

A short sentence with a lot of meaning. With many families, it was a known fact that the person they referred to as Granny carried law and order when it came to what was expected in how we treated one another.

What made that even more unique was that many grandmothers, especially in the Black community, stood by good values because they knew returning hatred with hatred would only keep good values from growing, while promoting racial divisiveness that even today has many countries locked in a bitter struggle to overcome the sickness of judging people on the basis of skin colour or ethnicity.

One of the great things about decent values and truth is that no matter how bitter the resistance, these values have the strongest legs to stand on, and that makes the difference between those supporting shallow, meaningless objectives and those intent on building a better life where truth, decency and justice are guideposts for the future. We all know it is far from a perfect world, and

it will take a great deal of sacrifice from many to bring about change. Every world leader at some point was a baby depending on a mother for survival. That is a simple fact. What is really important as that child develops are the values that take root along the way. It is in the family setting where most good values, like a seed, should be planted early in preparation for challenges ahead. After all, core family values matter.

We should salute all those grandmothers who did their utmost to teach the old golden rule that we should treat others as we expect to be treated. That should be a core value for every society.