What am I worth?

I came to college with an HP dv1000. Trusty old thing, served me well until last semester when the motherboard died. I started using a broken Asus computer - it would randomly die on me when using Windows, but it worked with Linux. This semester I tried to get it to work on Windows again, with sporadic success.

I wanted to post one blog entry per day, so I wrote two blog entries on my Asus for future posting, but the laptop died all of a sudden on me again. So, for now, I'll have to recycle this old post from my Facebook Notes. I rather like this piece. Enjoy!


What am I worth?

The declaration of independence states that it is a self-evident truth that all men are created equal. Yet when I examine the world around me, this is not very self-evident to me. I am much less intelligent than many, less diligent, less charming. In many areas I also consider myself blessed; good family, good friends, good health. Using all of our standard criteria by which we judge ourselves and each other, we seem anything but equal.

But if I said that I am worth more than my neighbor because I am more athletic than him, you might feel disgusted and think that I am conceited. If I said I am worth less than my neighbor because he is better looking than me, you might feel sympathy for me and think that I value myself less than I should. This demonstrates that on an intuitive level we understand that we humans have an intrinsic worth that transcends all the criteria by which we judge one another. I have the worth of a human being, and no matter how much I strive to surpass my fellow man and increase my worth over his, we are still worth the same.

I have found all naturalistic explanation of intrinsic human worth to be unsatisfactory. Evolutionarily developed psychological mechanism for survival; tacitly understood utilitarian rule; ability to kill (Rousseau came up with this one, not me); these explanations are all lacking, for they put the impetus of equality on self-interest. If the equality of man is simply a self-interested perception, then surely this can be rejected in the spirit of Justice Kennedy, who famously declared “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” The logical consequence of following such naturalistic explanations of intrinsic human worth is optional acceptance of human equality – and I consider optional acceptance of human equality abhorrent. Only one explanation sufficiently explains transcendent worth, and that is that we are made in the made in the image of a transcendent being.

This is where my worth resides. Though I may find myself less valuable than the rest of creation, my value comes from my creator. To know that God’s love is unconditional, not contingent upon my performance in academics, sports, or even spiritual life, provides much desired comfort. I’m so thankful that God is God, and not like us – he is faithful, unchanging, and unrelenting in his pursuit of relationship with us. I find my worth in the only one truly worthy to be praised, our heavenly father in heaven.