From this qualitative perspective, when Worth arrives fully-formed at a specific moment, we find ourselves in the business not of Planning, but rather of Hoping. We hope for the revelation of Worth or the arrival of Wealth and Worth in the form of economic benevolence. We anticipate a world of Revolution, not Evolution. While Worth can be slowly acquired in a world where we are born and where we remain throughout our lifetime (the once-born status), we might find instead that Worth arrives suddenly and changes everything. There is an overwhelming sense of conversion. Our life is reborn (the twice-born status) (James, 1900/1982). Worth is infused everywhere in our world.
Temporary Worth
There is a third way in which Worth arrives at our doorstep. Worth arrives for a short time in a temporary setting. We find a moment of Worth during an inspiring Sunday morning sermon or a ceremony in which we honor a divine presence that operates within us. We also find temporary Worth when we are briefly generous, giving, or (even) forgiving. We “pay it forward” and find that our actions are indeed Worthy. For a brief period, we feel “worthwhile” in our world. We find that it is possible to be “altruistic” and unconcerned about being rewarded for our efforts (though we “know” that our actions are in some ways self-rewarding, given that altruistic and generous acts often come with a neurobiological hit of pleasurable dopamine).
It is in this temporary setting that we “taste” Worth for a moment in a revolutionary manner (“twice-born”). We then return to our “ordinary” life (once-born). We use our “taste of Worth” as a motivator and guide that enables us eventually to accumulate Worth.
Appreciative Worth
Each of these perspectives on Worth requires that we gain some clarity regarding the nature of Worth and how it is “won” or granted to us. We need “specifics.” This requires that we engage in a process of self-appreciation. Even if Worth is given to us by some outside source, we must fully appreciate the nature of the gift (grace) given to us. Furthermore, if our Worth derives from what we value, we must act on behalf of these values. With Grace comes an obligation to act on behalf of something greater than ourselves.
A poignant example of this acting for the greater good was offered in a recent Boston Globe story (Wen, 2025). This story concerns a whistleblower who was fired by ExxonMobil for revealing the potential misreporting of oil drilling projections. As a climate scientist, Lindsey Gulden was deeply disturbed by the massive environmental impact her company was having on the environments of northeastern Alberta, Canada, and the Permian Basin in Texas. She specifically reported on inaccurate data given by ExxonMobil to the US Government and was dismissed from her job for filing this report.
Gulden shares her difficult decision-making process: “. . .she feared repeating what she saw as a troubling pattern in her way of thinking—blocking out negative information she didn’t want to confront. She realized that some of the good things about working at Exxon had blinded her.” (Wen, 2025, p. 24) Lindsey Gulden could have looked the other way, remaining blind (as did many co-workers). Yet, her sense of self-worth was at stake. She recalled a statement in her father’s obituary: “One’s integrity is his only possession of true value.” For Gulden, integrity meant reporting on the abuse of data by her corporation. Self-worth (“true value”) was on the line, and Lindey Gulden decided that she needed to “think” (and feel) in a new way. A higher level of love (Agape) was winning the day, this being her love of Mother Earth’s environment. Other ExxonMobil employees have left the company. Apparently, Agape (or at least the courageous act taken by Lindsey) is contagious, especially when coupled with the challenging of self-worth. Lindsey Gulden has made a difference.
