Value

I awakened half-an-hour before the alarm was scheduled to beep. I reflexively checked the sleep data and statistics on the smart watch, then powered it down. Then I stretched my body and gazed at the darkened ceiling. While paying attention to my breath. I remembered again how it is that my consciousness and viewpoint are unique and will never again be duplicated.

I then pondered the fact that there are billions of people on this planet at this very moment who have particular states of consciousness and highly subjective viewpoints. The act of remembering these facts brought to mind just how valuable life truly is.

Our lives are intrinsically valuable regardless if one is a third grade pupil in school or if one is King Carl Gustaf of Sweden. The woman waiting in line at the drug store check-out counter experiences the Universe in her own particular manner, but we are all common in that we experience the Universe. Each life has profound value, whether or not we realize this truth.

Most of us strive to enhance the intrinsic value of our lives by the means of compassion, friendship, inventiveness, love, and work. The value of these acts geometrically increases when we act in accordance with enhancing the value of other lives.

At some point in our childhood we learn about the concept of price. We find out that our toys and food cost a certain amount of money. We eventually discover that there is such a concept as value. A mindful parent teaches the child that price does not necessarily correspond with value. Although the kid’s teddy bear may have cost $25 to purchase, the child has become so attached to the stuffed toy that she would refuse to trade the bear in exchange for the cash.

At another point in our lives we realize that the price of things is more or less arbitrary. Why is a Rolex watch more expensive than a Timex watch? Of course there is the matter of materials and manner of manufacturing, but this does not necessarily mean that the true value of the Rolex is more than that of the Timex. Regarding the purpose of a watch, both of them display the time. There are many scenarios in which wearing a Timex is more valuable and beneficial than wearing a Rolex.

So, by and large the price difference depends on the creation of specialness and arbitrary assignment of monetary worth of each timepiece. In different scenarios, each one has a crucial value to its owner. For instance it is more prudent to wear a $20 Timex than a $20,000 Rolex when walking through a questionable part of town. It’s easy to understand that the understated Timex will not make the wearer an obvious target for muggers and other thieves. In this case a Timex is much more valuable than a Rolex.

“A value is valuable when the value of value is valuable to oneself.”–19th century philosopher and social leader, Dayananda Saraswati

There are many concepts that have infinite value but no convenient price tag. We understand that honesty, innocence, peacefulness, integrity, and trustworthiness are important virtues. It is when those virtues are lost, that people realize the true preciousness of those virtues.

In the end, the value of ones life is not only determined by the amount of days we are alive, but in the awareness and the use of them. When we fully comprehend that the Universe will only provide one’s unique observational portal for a limited time only, then true value will be more fully realized.

Ciao
The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes 19th century engineer, industrialist and founder of Honda Motor Company, Sōichirō Honda. “The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred.”