Worth

I'd like to talk to you for a minute. The recent discussion on Reality TV got me to thinking. Specifically, my type of audience I think most of the shows will appeal to, and the type of shows that generally fall into this category. They can be summed up with the same word: shallow.

This got me to thinking about worth. The shallow version is wealth. This is all to often confused with worth. The two are separate, make no mistake. Wealth is financial and materialistic abundance. Worth is value. There is a distinct difference. One is measured in physical terms, the other, in more philosophical terms, and in actions.

It seems to me more and more that society is becoming more shallow, more obsessed with wealth. The ideal shown in magazines, the media, and movies are superficial and rich. Prissy and self-centered. I see more and more people subscribing to this method of life.

Think about this for a second, however. These people are choosing this representation and life for a reason. Usually, that reason has something to do with the perception of other people. What do other people think of me? That sort of thing. Well, the wealth line gets you a certain image. So does the worth method. The difference for the purposes of this discussion is simple. Wealth is temporary and volatile, its is fleeting, and it can be destroyed. Worth, on the other hand, is more robust. You can always lose your fortune, your position of power or employment, your fancy car and clothes. Your personal worth, your personality, ideals, morality, manners, and integrity are much harder to destroy. People can not take those away from you, at least not very easily, and certainly not without some cooperation on your part.

People who have lost these characteristics have done so by choice. Almost any fool can take all you have in this world, including your life. It's much harder to get someone's polite demeanor out of their pocket, if you will.

Which would you rather be remembered for? Ok, scratch that. What if tomorrow you lost everything in the world except yourself? How would you survive? If you knew that you would never again be atop Mount Olympus, how would you feel about yourself? What would your perception be?

Think about it.

-Owen.