Fundamental Conditions of Worth and Control
The matter of control seems to be showing up throughout our exploration of Worth. Virtually all sources of Worth relate to some sense of personal control. Furthermore, in the secular world, Worth is often established through the Work we do. If we are to be “worthwhile” in the secular world, we must contribute to our community. While God may grace us with Worth, we are often required by God to work hard and make smart decisions. We are generative in our work with other people by mentoring, preserving, and improving the community. The imperative for us when engaging Agape and creating an I/Thou relationship is to do something that benefits an important cause. We relate in I/Thou by working together on behalf of something valued (“worthwhile”); we find a transcendent love (Agape) by acting on behalf of something of value beyond ourselves.
Feeling “worthy”
Given these conditions, I now focus on the generation of Worth at the personal level as it occurs in the work we do and actions we take. I focus in particular on the engagement of work over which we have some control and on the conditions that exist when we do not have control over the work we do. Control resides at the heart of the matter regarding our sense of personal Worth. We feel “worthy” when we hold some control in our life. We feel unworthy when control resides elsewhere. Similarly, our sense of collective Worth is dependent on control. A nation is Worth something to the extent that it retains control over its own boundaries and operations.
How “worthy” do we feel given our current condition in life? To what extent do we have some control over our life and labor? To what extent does the control reside outside our life? Has the world of work so invaded our life and sense of self that we can no longer differentiate ourselves from the work we are doing? To what extent do we find our community and nation unable to control impinging forces? Are the conditions of VUCA-Plus (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, turbulence, and contradiction) so powerful that our leaders feel they are impotent in their guidance (Bergquist, 2020)?
It is a matter not only of the actual extent to which we have some control over our life and labor, but also the extent to which we perceive that we have some control. Similarly, our perception of control determines our attitudes about leadership in our community and nation. It is the “psychology” of Worth (constructivism) rather than the “reality” of Worth (objectivism) that wins the day. We have seen this vividly demonstrated in recent election results from countries worldwide. To what extent is this an accurate perspective? How realistic are we about our ability to tilt the scale of control in our favor?
As we will see, these perspectives are informed and shaped in part by two powerful forces (capitalism and individualism) and by two counter-forces (community and collectivism). The relative weight of each force strongly influences our sense of Worth individually and within our community. The countering sense of community and a concern for the collective welfare often offset the abuse inherent in capitalism and individualism. On the other hand, under conditions of VUCA-Plus, we are inclined to escape into a self-serving, isolated, and profit-driven world of distorted reality and a false sense of Serenity (Bergquist, 2025).
Control resides at the heart of any balancing of individual and collective, or balancing of capitalism and community. The key question to ask is: Where is the locus of control? Does it reside within the person’s or institution’s domain or outside this domain?
