06-14-2013, 05:59 PM
(06-14-2013, 05:33 PM)Adonai One Wrote: I will not say that a child deserves the slavery of others so it can be fed. I do not believe it is right to put a gun to the head of a man, extort money from him and then feed the child with it. I do not condone such "rights."
I believe it deserves food and water out of the voluntary, charitable love of the people that surround it. I believe it deserves the happiness that can be willingly provided.
However, I do not believe it deserves happiness as far as that the whole world should bow to its whim under the threat of a higher power. Although such paradigms will exist.
I don't like the word "deserve" because it is often used negatively with an implication that violence will be used to achieve its end.
Happiness is hardly being bowed to. What you are describing is power, authority, not being happy.
How about this for fairness, everyone deserves to be happy, so long their happiness does not hinder others' happiness around them?
Anyhow, happiness comes from within. A child does not need power or money or authority to be happy, no more than an adult does. They only need to choose happiness and welcome it. As they say, happiness is a state of mind. That is why some people in horrible or painful circumstances can still achieve happiness. It's a door you open within yourself. So technically, even the modified statement above, being happy, since it comes from within, can never hinder someone else's happiness. The illusion of happiness or some mental or physical forms of pleasure may however cause pain to others.
Quote:Worthiness seems to vary from perception to perception. It's not singular.
Worthiness may seem to vary according to societal standards, but in truth, it does not. We attribute certain values for certain objects, animals and even people completely arbitrarily. Let's use an example with money, as it is one of the most obvious examples; why is a hot dog worth 3$? Because we decided it was a fair price. However if you go from one restaurant or street cart to another, you will notice the price may vary from 2.50$ to 3.50$. So, what's the real worth of a hot dog? Even more crucial: if you take 2 identical hot dogs and price one at 2.50$ and the other at 3.50$, will they change in their form? Will one become nicer and the other uglier? Does this new value affect their nature?
No, it does not. It's the same hot dog, whether you decide it costs 1$ or 100$. It will never change. The worth we give to things and people is therefore completely irrelevant. The worth of a human being at their birth is the same as their worth on their death bed. It is the same essence which is present, and so even if you feel it has a different value it makes no difference. It is ever the same.
That is why real worth is not defined by people's opinion, and the value people try to attribute to you is completely irrelevant. Tomorrow the world may decide you are very worthy, or completely worthless, and it will have no impact. The difference is that humans, unlike hot dogs, actually tend to believe in the worth they are given and change their behaviour to reflect this new artificial value. One who feels worthless may become depressed and sad. One who feels very valuable may become confident and even prideful.
This is all inconsequential. What are you really worth?