Human Worth

By Sicebise Msengana

Pic: Izquotes.com 

I, often get saddened by the casual disregard of human life. In the world we living in is discriminatory, selfish and unkind to those who don't these attributes seen as worthy.
Maybe you've looked yourself in the mirror and wished you were someone else? A famous person? a rich person? The sad truth is the values in which human worth depends in the Western cultures that are based on the images of perfection and glamour as marketed by the entertainment industry and the materialistic culture in general. They set a ''pie in the sky'' standard of excellence for many individuals. What about those who don't measure up? If the most talented, handsome, and beautiful people in the world often feel inadequate and insecure, what the individual who only lacks a measure of physical beauty but also performs badly in school and faces other attacks of personal worth?



Where did it all started? Some are born with more money, have greater talents, built stronger, have more opportunities and even more smarter than others. Long before we had democratic governments, humans have surrendered their power to the monarchies (and nobles) in exchange for protection. As a result, we reserved extra ''star treatment'' for certain individuals. Recent developments in science, technology, and the changes in our societies has had a massive impact and made the world a ''global village.'' These developments really change our relations with our fellow human beings. In a world we're living in, the popular
culture has made it clear that some people are more important and valuable and others are not. It has become even more vicious and unforgiving and the media has put a special blessing on it. The true worth of the human soul has been twisted and left up to discussion. As a result, many people ,young and old have experienced some forms of self-hatred and loathing. Hollywood, popular trends, internet, fashion models, television, rap and hip-hop music have been notorious for feeding us with the wrong messages. We have classes to put people into invisible standards. We recognize according to the car they drive, house they live in, by the education they have and the money in their bank accounts. Which is wrong, all people are special. Just because you don't have a model's body doesn't mean you're ugly. And because you don't make a seven figure salary still doesn't mean you're worthless. Love yourself for who you are. Albert Einstein once said, ''Try not to be a man of success. Rather a man of value.''



Value in the world's eyes. Human worth in our humanistic society is carefully booked for those with certain specifications. The highly intelligent are admired for their work in solving complex problems, the beautiful are praised for their drop dead gorgeous features, and movie stars are loved for their action stunts. But no one should be considered valuable because of their outward appearances of success and glamour. J.K Rowling said, ''We are all human, aren't we? Every human is worth the same, and worth saving.''

A quest for recognition. The greatest pain that is felt by all people from all walks of life is not unusual in the world today. The same empty feelings of inadequacy can be everywhere- in every corner, in every school, in every church, in every office and in every home. Most are disappointed with who they're and what they represent. Particularly, because of a world that worships superstars. They look in the mirror for signs of greatness and only see nothing but uselessness. If the feelings of inferiority are universally accepted at all ages of life, we we must ask ourselves why can't we just accept ourselves as we are? If we rely on physical beauty, material possessions and other outward aspects of our lives for our self-worth, we may  find temporary happiness and still be unfulfilled and unhappy in the long run. Be comfortable in your own skin, don't look for approval from people. The right people will love and accept you for who you are.

Pseudo values. The world is divided into two groups: ''The HAVES and HAVE NOT'S''. We may cry about it, but we can't really change it. We can only work with this reality. Each of us at sometime in our lives have asked self-worth questions: Do I matter? Do I have what it takes? Who really cares about me? Later on, we attempt to answer those questions by looking at influences and trends in our cultures. The current cruel system of evaluating human worth , not everyone is deemed worthy; not everyone is accepted. For example, we book our respect, respect, and admiration for a select few who have been blessed from birth with characteristics we greatly covet. We need to break free from that mentality we've been  fed. No matter, every individual is as precious as the other. Irrespective of their cultural background, ethnicity, family ties, status.

What if we're valuable by our actions? Great men like Moses, King David, Jesus, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chief Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and many other heroes who change the world with their extra-ordinary courage and were led by their convictions. They share one thing in common and that's service to humanity! They prove to us beyond reasonable doubt that it's about what you do to make a difference in the lives of others.

Great people are valuable not because of the money in their bank accounts or the clothes they wear, but by the lives that they live. They live lives of honesty and integrity, spending time listening to their INNER VOICES (conscience) and their actions are honorable. I don't care who you are; whether you've broken records, won many competitions or you were a student of the year in Albert Einstein Elementary School, it's about what you do that really matters in life. Whether you're a teacher, a parent, religious leader or a president of a nation, you have a
job to do, not just to merely show up. Make your mark in the world and let that mark be positive.

Your thoughts on human worth?