Friday, September 15, 2017

What is value?

Last night, I went to a singles' event.  It was an interesting experience, well-guided, and thought-provoking.  One gets really contemplative with some of the questions they ask.  They sound silly on the surface, but it really was worth going.  I didn't get a date out of it, but I may make contact with someone later.  Who knows?

One of the last exercises we did was stream-of-consciousness writing.  For six minutes, we were to keep writing.  We were given the first four words, and then we kept going from there.  When it was over, we were asked to share three of our best sentences that we wrote.  The first four words were "What I value is," and we took it from there.  Many people wrote lists, whether bullet-points or lists in sentence form.  My sentences took a different bent.  It was kind of awkward, but the sentences I shared were, "I feel the meaning of the word "value" has been... well... devalued due to oversaturation.  I guess the best place to start is what I most appreciate having in my life right now. ... I enjoy [my job], and it's where I hope the permanent roots prove to have begun."

It was very impromptu, and thus a bit clumsy.  If I'd had a little more time to think about it before writing, I think my three sentences would have read thusly:

"I feel the meaning of the word "value" has been... well... devalued due to oversaturation, due in part to the world of advertising.  I suppose that it's indicative that what I ultimately value is value itself, deep meaning to things and experiences.  I've been told on numerous occasions that I overthink things, overanalyze situations, and infer meaning where none simply exists, but the search for purpose, deep meaning, and yes, value in my vocation, recreation, relationships, and especially in my walk with God is a continual endeavor for me, because I suppose in the end, I want my life to have had meaning -- something I suppose we all strive for."