Qualitative/Sacred Worth
Some of us believe (or assume) that Wealth comes to us all at once. Our Worth resides in secular entrepreneurship. We embrace a spirit of enterprise, preparing to “strike it rich” by introducing that needed product or service. Or we invest in Luck. There might not be a God, but there is Good Fortune. We buy Lottery tickets at our local convenience store and wait for our fortune to arrive by “Luck.” We have decided that our destiny and Worth are ultimately not under our control. We have only to “take a chance” and rely on fate and a benevolent universe. There is no winning the jackpot if we never buy a ticket!
Alternatively, Worth might also come from the Grace granted by some beatific divine source. A gift or revelation of a spiritual nature is bestowed on us. We are “worthy” in the eyes of God or some other spiritual presence. Our Worth is created by our presence in a community of faith. We may be born into this community; thus, we are “once-born” into a world of Spiritual Worth. We are baptized and saved, thus finding ourselves “worthy” in the eyes of God. Alternatively, we radically change our perspectives and practices given some spiritual revelation: “I was lost but now I’m found!!” Our conversation leads us to a “twice-born” recognition of Personal Worth (God’s grace) and membership in a community of Collective Worth (among the “chosen ones”) (James, 1900/1982).
Worth is also to be found in our relationship with the natural world in which we dwell. While animism is usually considered a primitive “religion”, we might find that “Mother Nature” has blessed us with a sense of personal Worth. Our precious status is evident in the beauty bestowed on us when walking in the woods or enjoying personal health. Our Worthy presence within a spiritual reality is manifested daily in everything we touch and feel. The world in which we live is saturated with Spiritual and Worth-inducing properties.
There is yet another way in which we find Worth. It comes in the revelation that we are inherently worthwhile, as are all people in our world. Matt Haig (2021) offers this perspective in The Comfort Book:
Your worth is you. Your worth is your presence. Your worth is right there. Your worth isn’t something you earn. Your worth isn’t something you buy. Your worth isn’t something you gain through status on popularity or stomach crunches or having a really chic kitchen. Your worth is your existence. You were born with worth, as all babies are, and that worth doesn’t disappear simply because you have grown a little older. You are a human, being.
While this self-affirmation might provide us with comfort, it is also quite fragile. For there is not firm, tangible base for assuming our Worth. No God is telling us that we are “OK” nor is any religious community, financial entity, educational institution, or award committee affirming our self-appraisal.
