Monday, May 7, 2007

For what price?


I saw this photo that got me thinking recently and I didn't really know what I wanted to say about it.

I knew at the time that there was a message glaringly yelling out at me. I just didn't quite know what the message was.

The message that I am getting from this is that we are all way too caught up in the concept of worth and value regardless the cost. Whether it be diamonds as depicted in the picture, cars as evidenced by all of the BMWs, Mercedes and Lexuses that I see on a daily basis to homes.

We all want items that cost too much for the purpose that they serve and we all ignore the real cost of those items. The picture shows a horrific human rights violation that I would guess happened in S. Africa, the world's largest exporter of diamonds and tyranny. The same type of picture could be made in reference to cars or housing. You still have people being taken advantage of by working in unsafe conditions and for pennies compared to executives.

I got to thinking that it was a shame that we spend so much on these things and so little in aiding others. That led me to thinking about what is truly of value and the price tag associated with it and then the meaning of the picture to me became crystal clear.

Love. The cost is time.....the value is priceless. Love is something that is so easy to give once you are with someone that you can let your guard down around. You are able to share moments with them and create memories. You are able to look at each other and communicate without ever speaking a word. You are able to make someone feel so good about them self that, for brief moments, they realize their true self-worth as others see them.

When you are in those moments....you will truly find the only thing that is worth its cost.

1 comment:

QuirkyGirl123 said...

Why do you think so many individuals are attracted to status or expensive material items? Is it marketing, the way we're raising our children or b/c we simply have nothing more important in life to entertain ourselves with and feel a sense of pride/accomplishment?

I was listening to the news earlier today and they showed three different story lines based on the Queen's visit to the United States. Do you realize that they all basically consisted of: What kind of clothes everyone was wearing, How they should speak/shake hands, etc. I grew up with the same meaningless instruction on manners and proper behavior, but how the hell is that actually helping to feed, nurture and educate our population?