Everything on our planet has a value. The trick is to recognize it. For something to have value, it must do something for us. That means things that we can’t even see have value. In reality, they are more valuable than the things we can see. It’s just that we don’t think about them or recognize them. Take in the air we breathe. The food we eat. Some aspects of these things, like vitamins and minerals, are not obvious to the naked eye.
Animals don’t have to think in values. They just hang their heads, eat and drink, and get immediate benefits from these valuable things without having to think about it. Instinct establishes your set of values.
But humans often have to think about it. We have created this thing called money that is supposed to represent or personify value and, to a reasonable degree, this is true. If we had the old trading system, it would be very difficult to bring a table and chairs to exchange for something. Since everyone accepts money as a common denominator, we are willing to work hard in the heat all day. Or work in a boring office, for money. Why? Because we know that we can sacrifice this paper material to obtain other things that we consider more valuable. Cars, houses, jewelry, a variety of foods and clothes.
Some people are brainwashed into thinking that money itself is where the value is, not in the things that can be bought. In this case, it is the security of having it that represents value to them. Like the man who rummages through garbage cans for food so he can leave his million dollars in the bank. Or the millionaire who refuses to change a leaky kitchen faucet due to plumbing expenses.
However, what happens if the money loses its value? Talk to people who lived in Germany after the last Great War. Ask them how much the DM was worth during a period of time after the war. You needed a small suitcase from them to get a bus ticket.
This unbridled value assignment to paper decorated with the heads of famous or infamous people is clearly nonsense, and yet, to some extent, most of us are guilty of it. How many people sacrifice kindness, human relationships, health and nervous energy, making sure they have the most beautiful house or car on the street? And the amazing thing about this is that many people with beautiful houses rarely live in them, because the time it takes to do 3 jobs or run a business for 16 hours a day, seven days a week, means that the only time in they enjoy them is when they sleep.
Shouldn’t our values be more closely aligned with happiness and fulfillment for ourselves and everyone around us? And once we figure out these values, we can indulge in a little splurge every now and then, because we’ll probably find that there is money to be saved if we get our priorities right.