It is normal enough for most people to believe that their personal values are in the proper place and that they usually behave in a virtuous and blame-free way. Frequently, people tend to see the need for others to improve in this regard long before they recognize their own shortcomings. Naturally, if we become too smug and complacent in our view of ourselves it puts in place a very significant barrier to moving ahead. Yet, we live in a time when individuals, agencies, governments and many other bodies are awash in self-congratulatory proclamations. "Politically correct" speech and thought is everywhere evident, and this compounds the difficulty of undertaking a more genuine search for the authenticity of our actual lived values.