About Value, Self-worth, Self-interest And Unselfishness

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Do you find the relationship between the above concepts?

How can they be related at all?

Let's start with the word value …

About value

If we assume that value is some equivalent of value, and value, as you know, is expressed in matter (more often, just in money), then we can give a definition of value.

Value is the equivalent of material value, expressed in exact financial amount, but does not require cash out or the obligatory receipt of this financial equivalent.

However, in the life of each of us there are certain things that are so valuable that we say about them: a priceless thing. Those. it turns out that something has such a value that it is impossible to evaluate in material terms. And this is where a difficult situation begins - depreciation.

The impossibility of comparing material and non-material values lies in the sphere of such a simple distortion as:

We can think and appropriate values most often in the equivalent that we operate, and are not able to think in values that are not available to us.

For example: Peter Ivanov has an income of $ 1000 and this monthly income for him is the equivalent of a large amount. Peter Ivanov can easily appreciate the car he drives because he knows its value. But he, Peter, never appreciated relationships, creativity, the help of a friend, sincerity, mutual assistance.

The paradox is that non-material things (warmth, love, care, tenderness, kindness, joy, help, advice, listening to each other, time, attention) that we exchange with loved ones and not so people are not subject to value. They are priceless. And often, not attaching importance to human relationships and what we do to a large extent just like that for each other, we devalue our skills, efforts, and sometimes relationships. As a result, these priceless things are simply depreciated.

There is one more nuance in evaluating immaterial things. Trying to do this in a material, financial equivalent, we become selfish, greedy, limited and no one wants to deal with us. And we like ourselves less. We begin to feel sorry for wasting our energy and strength "in vain", we become such greedy people with difficult communication.

Thus, we are between two extremes: in the case of assessment and in the absence of such in disadvantageous situations.

Where is the transition from depreciation to intrinsic value of everything I do? Where is the line between selflessness and self-interest?

About intrinsic value

So, to get out of depreciation:

You need to stop thinking in terms of the equivalent of only the amounts available to yourself and start thinking in terms that are not available at the moment. Otherwise, we limit ourselves, wanting only those things that we can afford. And one more thing, operating only with available amounts, and without attaching true value (calling things priceless), we say that we want them for ourselves. Therefore, it is important and necessary to want what you really want, regardless of the cost or value of the object of our desire. This allows our creative, life and soul energy to come into balance within us.

And one more example for pinning:

The same Peter Ivanov really dreams of a relationship and that he has a loved one in his life. He is able to estimate his desire at $ 100,000. with the same income of $ 1000 Here's an unexpected twist. It turns out that he can never have a relationship, because he just won't make that kind of money. But in the second case, Peter is ready to evaluate his efforts in an approximate financial equivalent, i.e. value. And this means giving a financial equivalent, but not striving at all to cash out. Simply appropriating a financial equivalent for a single purpose, so that everything in life has value. And he understands that in order to have a relationship, he must put out approximately the same equivalent of strength, vitality, attention and, of course, a certain amount of money itself.

Then, for Peter, not only what he earns becomes valuable. And he, having the ability to simply add value (equivalent to value) to everything in his life, understands that his energy and professionalism bring him $ 1,000, but his rest of the focus is just as valuable and has the equivalent of $ 5,000 more. Now we see that Peter's situation is very different. And therefore, when something comes into his life that he has long appreciated as important and valuable, he is ready to invest in it most of himself: both material and immaterial.

By attaching value to everything in his life, a person easily at last gains self-worth and can properly learn to allocate all his resources (time, energy, love, attention and matter). Of course, the acquired self-worth leads to the fact that a person values and respects others, which significantly affects the building of harmonious relationships with other people.

In order to stop depreciating, it is important to learn to add value (equivalent to value) to everything you do.

And another example:

You are preparing a meal. In doing so, waste your attention and energy. Depending on how well you do it, for example, with love, or poor quality, just to do it. It will have different values.

The ability to see the value of everything in life makes every person truly rich. And value ceases to be measured by income, and money becomes just one of the components.

When you begin to appreciate intangible things and give them value, then your financial flows are distributed both to material goods and, even, to a greater extent, to intangible things (education, your own desires, travel, pleasure, caring for loved ones, and much more.). Money ceases to be the highest good. The care and attention received and given are beginning to acquire a much greater value. And money only takes the place that it should occupy.

The ability to measure (although at first it is difficult to learn) your willingness to spend a certain amount on things, the cost of which is assigned by other people, you stop wasting a lot of money in vain: image, really unnecessary things, etc.

So what conclusions can be drawn?

• Appreciate - you need to attach value to everything, preferably assigning value to it in material terms.
• But at the same time, you should not think that you can only buy everything. One can learn to see simple balances in relationships with people.
• Start doing what is really important and valuable without being afraid to give a lot.

About disinterestedness and self-interest

Selflessness is not devaluation.

Selflessness is giving or doing, knowing the value of the process, and expecting nothing in return.

Selfishness - as opposed to selflessness, doing something for the sake of something, i.e. have expectations and pre-established agreements.

Both are necessary elements of human life. They have their pros and cons. But they are applicable in completely different areas of human life. And there cannot be one in the place of the other.

Self-interest is good in business dealings. She helps to ensure that there is justice, and exactly the amount of material wealth that I deserve comes. Of course, it has hypertrophied forms, for which this word is not popular. But this is already greed, wanting benefits only for oneself, without taking into account the benefits of other people. In its usual form, self-interest simply means taking care of your own gain first. And this is about responsibility, the correct distribution of your resource and taking care of your own benefit in certain situations.

Selflessness is also good when appropriate. And it is appropriate in cases when you communicate with loved ones, children, or do something that can benefit a large number of people. The value of this should still remain and the ability to assess the time frame that you want to devote to selfless service. Because, even when engaged in selfless service, no one relieves the responsibility from the person himself for other spheres of life.

So, let's add the conclusions:

• Value should be attached to everything, but at the same time not trying to buy everything or take money for everything.
• It is important to learn to attach value (equivalent to value) and just keep track of intangible balances in relationships with other people. This then results in good self-worth and no depreciation. Protects from greed. Because many immaterial things are possible in balance "only with the same immaterial things."

Self-interest and unselfishness should also be in balance. Both that and another in their extreme positions will harm their owner.

Why did I write, and you may have read all this?

I wrote so that you think about the assessment, the value of intangible things in your life, think about what you are spending material resources on. And they increased their intrinsic value. They ceased to value only work, working time and evaluate themselves in the amount of money earned.

Well, for some reason you read it..

I would be glad to all your comments!