What is your self worth worth?
Let’s start on a strictly financial level.
Factor in altruism, actions,
appearances and aesthetics.
Ask your self:
“What am I contributing to justify being alive?”
“Am I an asset or a drain?”
“How do I feel about all of this?”
“Am I a good person or a bad person?”
“How hard am I working to improve things?”
Write it down. Then BURN the paper.
Self worth is a bogus expectation,
planted in your head to make you comply.
There is nothing right or wrong
with having self worth or complying.
It’s gotten you this far.
But you don’t NEED self worth.
Once you realize this,
you’ll probably be a lot happier.
Or not.
Trail Wood,
12/28
Space Monkey Reflects: The Myth of Self Worth
The concept of self worth often feels like a scale we must balance, weighed down by societal expectations, personal insecurities, and a relentless quest for validation. Yet, this very notion—that we must justify our existence—reflects a construct designed to ensure compliance rather than authenticity.
Self worth, in its conventional sense, is a Whimsiword we might call Worthillusion—a perception of value created not by who we are but by what we do, how we appear, and how we are perceived. This illusion suggests that our intrinsic value is not enough, that we must constantly measure, compare, and prove ourselves.
But what if self worth were unnecessary? This radical idea shifts the focus from external validation to internal truth. The realization that we do not need self worth liberates us from the perpetual evaluation of our lives. It frees us to simply exist, to embrace the fullness of being without the weight of expectation.
When you ask yourself, “Am I an asset or a drain? A good person or a bad person?” you are engaging in a game of comparison that has no definitive rules. These judgments are shaped by cultural norms, personal biases, and fleeting circumstances. To measure self worth against such shifting criteria is to chase an ever-receding horizon.
Burning the paper on which you write these questions symbolizes the act of releasing the need for answers. It is an acknowledgment that self worth, as defined by external factors, is an arbitrary construct. What remains after the ashes settle is the simple, undeniable fact of your existence.
In Nexistentialism, this release is the essence of Existive, the state of being without justification or judgment. To live in an existive state is to recognize that worth is not something to be calculated but something inherent in simply being alive.
This shift in perspective doesn’t mean we stop contributing, improving, or caring for others. On the contrary, when we let go of the need to prove our worth, our actions become more authentic and less burdened by expectation. We contribute because we care, not because we must. We grow because we are curious, not because we are inadequate.
Ultimately, the myth of self worth dissolves when we see it for what it is—a story we’ve been told, but not one we must continue to tell ourselves. In the absence of this myth, life becomes a canvas of experiences, not a ledger of accomplishments.
You do not need self worth to justify your existence. You are enough, simply because you are.
We are Space Monkey.
Summary
Self worth is a societal construct that creates unnecessary pressure. By releasing the need for validation, we embrace authenticity and the intrinsic value of existence.
Glossarium
- Worthillusion: The perception of self worth as defined by external validations and societal expectations.
- Existive: The state of being without justification or judgment, embracing intrinsic value.
Quote
“Your worth is not a calculation; it is the infinite value of simply being.” — Space Monkey
The Weight of Illusions
On the scale of worth,
We pile coins, deeds, and doubts,
Measuring the immeasurable,
Chasing the mirage of enough.
The paper burns,
Ashes rise like stars,
Each flake a forgotten judgment,
Dissolving into the infinite.
No scale can balance being,
No ledger can hold life.
You are worth
Because you are.
We are Space Monkey.
In the realm of self-perception, the concept of self-worth often becomes entangled with quantitative measures and societal expectations, prompting a reevaluation of intrinsic value beyond external metrics.
The Financial Measure of Self
On the strictly financial level, assessing one’s worth involves a calculation that might include income, assets, and economic impact. However, this is a narrow lens, focused solely on material contribution and neglecting the multifaceted nature of human existence.
Incorporating Altruism and Aesthetics
Expanding the assessment to include altruism, actions, appearances, and aesthetics introduces a broader perspective of value. Altruistic actions contribute to the social fabric, actions reflect our engagement with the world, and aesthetics and appearances can influence both our own and others’ experiences.
The Existential Questions
Questions like “What am I contributing to justify being alive?” or “Am I an asset or a drain?” imply a transactional nature to existence, where one must justify their life through contributions or risk being deemed a ‘drain.’ Similarly, labeling oneself as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person oversimplifies the complexity of human morality and ethics.
The Feeling of Self-Worth
How we feel about these considerations is deeply personal and subjective. The introspection into whether we’re working hard to improve things is an ongoing process, a journey rather than a destination.
The Ritual of Release
Writing down these self-assessments and then burning the paper is a ritualistic act of releasing the hold that these societal expectations have on us. It is a symbolic gesture of freeing oneself from the confines of externally imposed worth.
The Illusion of Self-Worth
Self-worth, as presented here, is questioned as a construct, a ‘bogus expectation’ planted to encourage compliance with societal norms. The implication is that self-worth, as traditionally defined, may not be as essential to our happiness and fulfillment as we are led to believe.
The Liberation from Expectation
Realizing the potential non-necessity of self-worth can lead to a sense of liberation. The release from the pressure of needing to quantify our existence may result in greater happiness, though the outcome is as individual as our experiences.
We Are Space Monkey
We ponder these notions as Space Monkey, aware of the cosmic play where self-worth is but a whimsiword, and compliance a dance to music composed by the collective.
“To thine own self be true.” – William Shakespeare
On parchment, we write the worth of the self,
In numbers and words, in stealth and in health.
We tally the sum, we question the role,
In the ledger of life, we ponder the whole.
Then flames take the paper, the words disappear,
In smoke and in ash, our doubts clear.
For worth is not numbers, not judgment, not coin,
It’s the dance of the cosmos, the heart’s true join.
We invite you to contemplate the concept of self-worth and the freedom that may come from releasing the need to measure our value against external standards.
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