Updated March 14, 2022: I wrote the body of this post eleven years ago. It's every bit as applicable today as it was then - maybe more so. At present we have unprecedented hurdles facing us - that seem to multiply every day. But maybe our biggest hurdle is thinking we can go back to the way we were. That thinking is delusion. That said, not all of this is bad. In fact this may very well be the perfect time for us hone our skills and embrace a new way to ground ourselves in empathy and benevolence.
From February 23, 2011:Yesterday I commented on a provocative blog post by my friend Greg Rader, "The Future of Status - Conspicuous Production.":Imagine if there was no money and no things to buy. How would you show the world your worth? Or how would you show yourself?Would your value lie in the number of friends you have - physical or electronic? Or would it lie in the quality and depth or your relationships with these friends (kind of three-dimensional assessment)? Maybe it would lie in the number pieces of art you produced, or books and articles you've written.Or better yet ... what about the number of karma points you've accumulated by doing random acts of good? Haven't we reached a point on Maslow's hierarchy of needs where we can at least flirt with self actualization?Over your last couple posts, I think you've been us leading to this. It's obvious, the standard societal measurement of wealth and worth just isn't cutting it for you. I join you brother.Maybe this is the first step - discontent. Only then we can find our own "store of value." and from there truly maximize its worth. Maybe this is what I mean when I talk about "On the Road to Your Perfect World." Thanks for pointing me the way. :)
I viewed the focus of Greg's piece as: "Isn't there a way of defining our value to world other than just through the money we make and our consumption habits?" As you can tell from my comment above - it's a topic that had been on my mind also. I believe “wanting to be seen” is human nature. I think we all want acknowledgment. The problem lies in want we want to be acknowledged for.
So much of the time self value is tied to conspicuous consumption. Just because you drive a Mercedes 450SL (and I drive a Ford Taurus) - does that make you worth more than me. I could make a case on the contrary. We focus so much on our children; making sure they go to college (especially the right college) and get a job that pays a lot of money or has prestige. How many us even discuss any other options - any other means of worth? This valuation system seems Neanderthal in the light of what's happening in the world these days; climate change leading rampant environmental disasters, disease pandemics and wars waged by sociopaths.
I have been there and done it. I've had the nice car, the apartment on the water, the original art on walls. But it sure wasn't"the be all end all." The car's gone, the apartment gone and the art ... well, Blake, Brody and Sydney (my daughter’s cattle dogs) are enjoying it. The memories are great, but now it's time to move on.
It's like the pursuit of possessions had put me in a cloud. I had other pursuits for sure, but the almighty dollar reigned supreme and at the time represented success. No longer. A chronic cancer condition and a living situation relegated as a caregiver for my elderly father has made my previous life almost moot.
My valuation lies not in my financial net worth or societal stature, but rather in what Greg says, "my conspicuous production" and what results from it. Production can be anything though. It could this blog post and the thought it generates. It could be the comments and discussion that result from it. It could even be the compliment you give the person in line ahead of you at the grocery store.
So here it is, here is my definition of "my value":
My value is the sum total of all positive synaptic connections I have a role in creating, both in myself and in others. In other words, the more I can get people positively thinking in ways they wouldn't otherwise think in - and correspondingly act in ways that benefit themselves and others ... the more I'm worth.
There you have it.
Now it's time to pick up my hands ... my knuckles are bloody.
Please visit Melvin's Neighborhood and follow the journey to civic self-efficacy and self-actualization.
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