The Value of Worth

Lately, Ive been thinking about the concept of worth.  It is a word we use all time, simply an abstract way of determining the value of the physical sticker price.

A perfect example of this is is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.    The difference between “needing” and “wanting,”  what that costs and more importantly, at what point does their differentiation begin to decrease significantly?

Speaking on behalf of the culture in the US specifically, I don’t believe it is that black and white.  In a capitalist society, the level of “basic needs” is open for interpretation.   I think the Beatles would argue that “all you need is love..love is all you need…”    I believe that rather than intangible things being aspirational they are running in  tandem to what is basic.  We strive and place equal importance on our basic needs to live as we do intimacy and relationships and emotional behaviors such as appreciation, love, lust, desire.  What is the important link  is  self-actualization.

If you ask someone the simple open-ended question, “what do you want” or “what is important to you?”  I believe that most people would have trouble providing specifics.  They might paint an answer with broad, whimsical strokes.   For many, worth is a calculation, an understanding of basic economics – of supply and demand, loss and gains and lets not forget the ever important opportunity cost.

Let’s take a step back from the pure mathematical element.    The better we are able to understand our own self-worth the clearer we understand that what is worthy is invaluable.

Quote of the day: “What we know matter but who we are matters more.” – Brene Brown

Neurally yours,

your basic need xo