What Defines Worth?

How do you determine and define worth? In a capitalistic society, our worth is often determined by our contributions to society-- what advancements we bring forth, what profit we make, and what we can produce. Our worth is practically assigned to us, whether that be from schools “assigning you” less worth because of poor grades, or cosmetic companies hoping to profit off of our self-hatred. We are confined by the social constructs in our world, erected for ultimate advancement for people at the top of society, and designed to yield profit. People often comfort each other by saying, “this doesn’t define your worth”, or “you still have worth”. However, the deeper implication of these statements is that our value is determined by what we can give, and do. Which, of course, logically makes sense as we have been normalized to this way of thinking. The truth is, that intrinsic motivation is staunched and suppressed in a world that values profit and production above all else. The world we live in feeds greed with this way of life. Most do what people do in life, to be successful-- to get into a good college, to make a sustainable amount of money, to gain recognition in this complex world. Of course, there are always people who continue to disregard the norms of this world, and pursue their dreams not to make money but because they love it-- regardless of any possible reprimands from doing so. Despite this, society is inherently designed to reward those who contribute to society-- it’s just the way it is, and we haven’t known anything else. The system is built against people who are internally motivated to follow unorthodox pursuits, deeming them of less value than those who achieve ‘more’. With this in mind, how do we define worth? When you boil everything down, nothing matters. Practically everything is a social construct, and well, a human concept. In the grand scheme of the universe, humans are insignificant and meaningless. None of us have any worth, if we were to look at the big picture. I don’t say this to spark any existential crises, but to note that the concept of “worth” is well, worthless. Of course, Earth society isn’t dictated by the universe though, it is dictated by the social constructs that have been established as aforementioned. Thus, It’s valid to feel mitigated by the standards of this world, because in all honesty, expectations can be overwhelming. I’m not saying all of this to neglect and scorn any feelings of insecurity regarding worth, but to urge you to examine the idea that ‘worth’ is ambiguous and quite inconclusive. That there is more to life than profit, production, and contribution-- and that it’s important to realize that we define ourselves, and our own worth, if we were to let go of the deeply entrenched capitalistic ideals of society.