Hans Wissema’s values have been described in Siberian Lessons on Life, Love and Death, in which his alter ego abbot Yevgeni Nikolayevich Rostov gives three core rules for life:

• Know yourself, contemplate your own life, live your life consciously. It is you who it comes down to, who is responsible for your life and it is you who will be the ultimate judge of it.
• In all your dealings, consider the position of the other. Give and receive love because that is what life is all about.
• Respect your origin - which also is your destination. Be ready and feel you have lived a full life when it is time to go”.

These values translate to individuals as well as organisations and bodies responsible for government policies:

• All planned development (personal or organisational) starts with an analysis of one’s own position and the dynamics of the environment. It also requires taking responsibility.
• In conflicts, it is advisable to understand the position of the opponent  - the starting point of all negotiatons. In situations of change, one has to remember that people don’t mind changing, they just don’t like to be changed.
• Finally, all change needs to be rooted in the past and directed towards the long term. There is no point in remedying a situation in a way one will regret later.