http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2326054/Bill-Gates-worlds-richest-man-time-2007-personal-fortune-72-7BILLION.htmlIn our society, a person's worth is determined by their monetary value. Those who are highly valued feel , think and act according to the worth that has been assigned to them by society, because of their economic status. One does not see a poor man on a street corner fretting about his hair, does one?
Of course I am generalising, but there is most certainly enough of a majority to validate my use of this generalisation.
Those who are worth very little will live as if they truly are worth very little. This is where the rampant spread of STD's, drug use, alcohol abuse, failing grades, low self esteem and so on comes into the picture in a big way. Many will agree that a large portion on poor people are not very nice, very smart or very hygienic. Abusive relationships are also common, as people do not value themselves highly enough to place themselves in a position where they are treated well.
What no one seems to realise is that every member of society contributes to the collective welfare (or otherwise) of society. Being a doctor may be a specialised skill set requiring years of study and training, although the same could be said of an engineer, a repair person, a plumber - all of these skills being mandatory for the continued functioning of society and services. What about street sweepers? I suppose since no one has come up with a handy automatic street sweeping machine that manual sweeping will be required - without which our streets would be clogged and impassable, preventing everyone from reaching their destinations smoothly.
And what of the people who work with sewage systems, septic tanks, drainage, treatment and such - do they not contribute to our collective existence? Without them, we would have to start digging holes regularly to keep up with our bowel movements. Obviously, if we were to focus technological developments and advancements on improving the efficiency and quality of day to day living, such as sewage treatments and street sweeping, then we could very well phase out the human element entirely.
In order for this life to work for everyone, we must recognise the value of each member of society as an integral part of society, without which our collective state of being would be diminished. In order for each person to be guaranteed a life of dignity, each one must be ensured that their contribution to the collective is given a value that provides them with the means to live comfortably.
Every person must be allowed the means to provide themselves a decent life - it is just that simple. The idea that one person contributes more or less because of the particular thing or skill they are contributing is simply false - a doctor cannot treat patients effectively without the contributions of myriad other people, each with their own skills.
We have taught our children that to be special is to be highly valued - more so than to not be highly valued. This has lead to our culture of fame seeking and unequal value systems which is simply not sustainable - nor is it humane. The consequences, as we see daily, are catastrophic - all because we want to be valued.
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