Discovering Value.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009. What is value? Where does value come from? We might answer the question of value by a modern market oriented view: “The value of something is what people are willing to pay for it.” So if a society is short of houses, their value will rise since people will pay as much as they can to afford a reasonable living. If there are more houses than needed, their value will fall, since people try to sell houses for the best price possible, but since there are many options for buyers they will choose the cheapest house from a range of offers.

Today the market oriented values of things have become universial. We even invent artificial markets and competitions in areas where traditionally markets did not really exist to generate a mechanism for evaluation and valuation, for example by competitions and rating agencies for schools, universitites, etc etc. If you work with these systems, you need to position yourselves or your organisation in one of these markets. It is very difficult to keep yourself out of the modern view, if you want to be an active member of current society.

It is extremely interesting to observe the valuation which is carried out in the bible. Jesus puts value to those people who cannot succeed in the market driven evaluations. He values the weak, the lonely, the old, the lost, the broken people. He values the children. In terms of humans, with respect to appreciation and esteem he completely rejects our market oriented view. He asks us to esteem the least ones. He asks us to be different.

The basis of value, according to Jesus, is not the market, but the love of God. The basis of value is not the creation, but the creator. Since he created things, they gain value. When he values someone, he is full of value. When he devalues something, it looses its value. The love of God to all the people on this planet is the only sustainable basis of value we should adapt as a basis for our thoughts, feelings and actions. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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