OUR CORE VALUES

ILGE's core values concern three major things:  humanity, truth, and science.  We believe that values lie at the core of our lives, our familly, our community, our institutions, and our country.  Values provide us guidance, and a compass that confirms we are on the right course in our decisions, and reflect what we really desire, want, and prize in terms of what we hold most dear. Our core values are displayed in our logo as well as  the pyramid below.   

At the apex of our pyramid of core values we place Truth. ILGE values the ongoing pursuit of truth as being most critical for the success of all. We see truth as being the fundamental belief that in all things, our priority is to be honest, accurate, and descriptive of what we understand, know, and believe without bias.  WIthout truth, there can be no trust. Without trust, there can be no bond of transparent, self-less regard for the wants of needs of others with whom we interact. It is the cornerstone of everything related to an enlightened 21st century standard we hold most dear to our aspirations and as a standrad we all should adhere to With that in mind, we promise to provide to all with whom we work the best we can give them in terms of what we know to be true and what we believe is the best response we can make given the question, issue, or situation under review. We do not believe in

At the center of our pyramid of core values is Science. ILGE values science and the scientific method as being one of the core means by which we measure truth and that we need to embrace in fulfilling the needs of those we work with. Science concerns the ongoing pursuit of knowledge using all the tools at our hands that can most accurately reveal that nature of our world as it exists and as it is evolving. Whether this be found in the natural sciences, social sciences, or the new “emerging” sciences, we promise to use all the tools available in seeing solutions to problems via ongoing reference and use of the best in human knowledge in the scientific method and disciplines within that. 

At the base and foundation of our pyramid of core values is Humanity. We believe in the importance of the human being as a measure we must account for in all that we do. Our human nature and behavior is what unites humanity across times and geographical space.  We value the fact that there are three truths concerning our humany: (1) We are all members of the same human family - sharing a unique human nature and species-hood that means we are all equals at our core - regardless of our age, ethnicity, gender, and national identity; (2) Some of us are like some others in that we share a common culture, that is distinct from those belonging to other cultures; (3) each human being is unique, a one-of-a-kind that has a very special quality never before, or never to be duplicated again. In all our actions, we thus pay homage to these three truths in how we interact, treat, and engage with others. Also, we at ILGE believe humanity is best served via a collaborative, team-based approach to the varied services, programs, and support we provide to those we work with.  Also, we believe it is important to treat others as equal, valued  partners in the varied activities that we engage in. We also respect that each of us belongs to a unique culture, society, and the way of life that each of us has grown up with. We thus do not believe in judging other cultures by our own standards, but rather believe that each culture must be respected in its own right.

Lastly, we value the uniqueness of the person as an individual, with deference to them in their own right, regardless of whether we like,dislike, agree, or not-agree with them.  We measure our actions based on the extent to which we can aide, assist, support, and encourage the full development of the human qualities and talents of each person with work wtih.  We at ILGE believe that as human beings, we understand that in the most fundamental essence of our nature - "we are ourselves and our circumstances"-  as defined by existential philosphy. We also hold to the believe and honor the value of protecting the fact that each human being is condemned to freedom and choice in each moment, with the responsibility and accountability for the actions we chose or do not chose to engage in. We thus interact with others with full respect for the importance for personal decision making and support for enlightened decision making in all we do.