I live in a world where I am bombarded with value. A gallon of milk is over $5 (we buy organic because it is more valuable). High speed internet is around $45 (which, thankfully, is untaxed because it is considered an educational tool). A good pair of running shoes (which promotes my health) ranges from $80 to $120. A score on a good concert ticket (good meaning small to medium size venue with a great entertainer, i.e. the Fillmore with Ben Folds) is somewhere around $27.50 (bought at the window so I can bypass Ticketmaster). A gallon of gas is on the decline (currently $2.50 a gallon).
Value is so ingrained in our culture that we probably only recognize parts of it. What is unfortunate about this is it causes me to view others by their value. My revelation of this came to me about 9 months ago. I had just moved and was feeling the loss of some great friendships. I took stock of what made them great friendships. I valued their trust. I valued their intelligence. I valued their humor. But what I really valued was their acceptance. They accepted me for who I was. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Unfortunately, it was this last piece that was lacking in my approach to find new friends. I wasn’t accepting. They weren’t smart enough or mature enough. They weren’t motivated enough, or they weren’t funny. So I struggled to find friendships. My value was misplaced.
Every human being is of value. This is not earth shattering or even difficult to grasp. What I find so immensely difficult and challenging is that everyone’s value is equal. The man without a home who struggles with alcoholism is equal in value to me. A woman who cannot read or write is equal in value to me. A child who is not bright is equal in value to me. The poverty stricken, the HIV positive, the bitter are equal in value to me. The Asian, Indian, Nigerien (from Niger), Nigerian (from Nigeria), Mexican, are equal in value to me. Everyone is equal in value to me. But I will say that THIS IS NOT EASY! Equality has eluded me and unfortunately continues to do so.
This is my baggage. I have tried to unload it, and I am trying to unload more of it all the time. I am confident that someday I will have unloaded all of it. This idea of value and equality does not come from a government. It does not come from how much I have. Value is not found in who I know. It is not even found in these words. It is from my conviction and testimony that I know that value and equality is done through LOVE. This is my baggage.
And love is not the easy thing....
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind.
U2: All That You Can’t Leave Behind: Walk On
2 comments:
Hopefully she won't mind me telling you this, Wild Willie: Something my wife shared with me during our recent reunion with this Kool-Aid Gang crew earlier in the spring, was how amazed she was as to how much you had matured since we last saw you. Maybe it's age, maybe it's marraige, maybe it was impending fatherhood at the time. Regardless, you have become quite the introspective guy of late. To be quite honest, I actually thought at first that Scootypuff had written this post.
I've been amazed myself just by the posts on this blog and the comments we give back to each other. It's obvious that we all have some ideological differences, albeit somewhat subtle at times. Yet, we're all still equal in the eyes of each other. It's a microcosm of our potential, but at least it's a start.
Amen, Brother. I tell you what else, back when this same knowledge fell on me, I also realized that no one had more value than me, either! This is exactly what I mean when I say that I can't have true confidence without equal measure of true humility.
But be careful Willie, you're treading on dangerous ground! Just like the poor souls who threatened your Nigerien friend for threatening to shatter their equilibrium, those still living in self-delusion will try to bring you back down to their level of understanding. Stay strong and hope for their enlightenment, and know that truth is on your side.
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