- TWIL (This Week I Learned.)
This week I learned about value. I’m rereading an old book called “If Women Counted” and it has me thinking about how we determine the value of things.
This week has me missing my Dad as well because this was a favorite conversation topic.
In the nineteenth century in the United States and other industrialized nations, a new way of valuating people took hold: measuring progress in terms of how much you earn. So what has happened is that having money or the capacity to earn money gives you money and value. Not just money (which, of course, is very useful but oddly says nothing about your value — Does it?)
We rarely speak frankly, candidly, about the non-monetary value of people and things. We listen to people because they have a lot of money and not because they show good character.
Our value as humans might better come from things like our wisdom, courage, restraint, and justice.
2. Quote
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” — Albert Einstein
3. Prompt
What are your core values? What about yourself do you hold in high esteem? What do you value in others? When you listen to someone, are you influenced by how much money they have or seem to have?
All those questions to ask this one: Why are you valuable? (You are — You are valuable.)
4. Quest
Be aware of how you value people and things this week. What do you make time for, what do you give attention to? What do you care for? Who do you care for?
5. Level-UP / Go Deeper
What if we lived in a society where we valued people based on their wisdom, courage, restraint, and justice?
- POD Poem of the day Kendal Hippolyte: Value
Podcast (Snap Judgement — The Golden Lure)
This is a quick 4 minute interview with Raj Patel
Video (Raj Patel — The Value of Nothing )
This is the book trailer for one of my favorite books. The trailer is a little sensational (imho) but it’s thought provoking. How do we choose what to value?
9. Hero: Raj Patel — Economist
Why? He speaks in plain, easy to understand terms about how and why we value what we do. He also has interesting solutions that make me think.
10. Take Care of Yourself This Week and Share if you know someone who might like this.
Wild and Precious Podcast, the audio partner to 10 Things, is available everywhere you download podcasts. Valuation episode Thursday.