A healthy self-respect may not be self-comforting
I think this view points out what I mean by “real” value. Self-respect is real. It is not forced or based on pretense or posturing. There is nothing artificial about self-respect. Self-respect is authentic, not something based on lies we tell ourselves. If we do something that we know in our hearts is wrong, we might try to convince ourselves that we had no other choice. A healthy conscience will not accept or be comfortable with a harmful choice.