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Humans have always been
chasing “value” since the day
it has had awareness and each
material or spiritual value it
gives or knows determines its
own value. Everything in life is
“valuable”. Some invest their
own understanding of value to
gold, money, time, beauty, work
or success according to their
own judgments; whereas some
measure the “worth living” value
of life with family, art, nationality,
religion or love. The values of our
values depends on our need for
them or their distances to us. The
value that we give, know, feel or
sometimes complain of not being
given maybe just consists of “a
case and event with mathematical
parameters” as its philosophical
definition implies.
I am reminded of a memory
dating back to the 80’s when
I hear the word “value”. Those
who know, remember it by its
laugh that is difficult to imitate, its
devotion to its owner and with the
way it holds on to its own values.
It is a value from the childhood
of many, the “valuable” of its
owner, his precious Muttley . It
is a fine and maybe sometimes
infuriating memory of the children
of the time that did not let its
owner learn anything despite all
its naughtiness… Maybe most
of us learned to give value from
it. Living with our own beliefs,
chasing our own judgments
without upsetting those we love.
We are concerned with how
much value is given to us maybe
even more than the values we
give to others. Sometimes our
own value determines the value
given to us and sometimes we
leave it all on the judgment of
others around us. We expect to
be valued. We start questioning
our own selves first when we feel
worthless. We believe that our
value in life is shaped according
to our own values. Despite all
the victories he won throughout
history, Napoleon is remembered
by his words, “money, money,
money!” and he has resembled
people to numbers; stating that
they have gained value according
to their standing. Whereas
Einstein who has defended the
power of the mind above all other
values until his last breath has
explained the concept of value
by saying, “Create value. Try
to be valuable instead of being
successful.” The concept of value
that comes up in many areas of
life from mathematics, chemistry
to physics and many others is
handled in many ways under the
“Philosophy of Values” known
also as “Axiology”. It shows the
way to people regarding the order
of those who direct life, the values
that communities embrace and
force on all their members as well
as how to live by certain rules
and to conform to the majority.
Actually it is value that makes
people, cities, countries and
us be what we are. So, is value
really the “reciprocity of all that
can be measured with money”?
We generally classify value into
two categories as material and
spiritual. On the one hand we
have values of love, respect and
devotion; whereas on the other
the material values that we are
made to believe we should have
in order to hold onto the spiritual
values. In reality, all the values
we have are the result of the
choices that we make with our
minds and hearts. Everything
that our minds understand or
our hearts can love is worth to
be valued for us. Conscientious,
moral, social, personal all values
become factors that shape our
future and even determine our
end. Every discipline of science
has produced millions of theories
on the concept of value that our
ancestors have summarized
with the saying, “he who does
not value himself cannot value
anything else”.
The concept of value is also
relative just like good, evil, wrong,
beauty or ugliness. The most
valuable thing in one’s life may
not mean anything for others.
The values given can sometimes
disappear leaving whatever it
is worthless. Every property
that makes cities worth living
in depend on the perspectives
of the people living there. Just
like the fact that every value that
makes life worth living depends
on the person living that life. We
determined the values of our
families, friends, jobs, abilities,
interests, those we love and those
we don’t; in short everything
that make us who we are. Some
are created in time as we live
whereas others are inherited from
our ancestors or families…
tema
theme
