X-Message-Number: 17297
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 20:31:58 -0700
From: Mike Perry <>
Subject: Self Worth

I find myself reading George Smith's posting #17283 with mixed feeling, 
though also thinking his heart is in the right place. A sense of self-worth 
he sees in uniformly negative terms, or thinks he does, as far as I can 
tell. Yet overall he reaches conclusions that seem opposite to this, and 
which, in fact, agree rather closely with my own views and probably those 
of many readers. He says, on one hand,

>The problem STARTS with assigning a "worth" to yourself in the first place.
>
>It is unnecessary and totally self defeating.  It creates conflict where
>none exists.

But on the other,


>People can believe whatever they want (and they do) but if it comes down to
>a life or death showdown between me and those I love versus ANY big Juju,
>then I am fighting for my life, six guns blazing.  (God better be wearing
>kevlar.  THAT would be relevant to HIM).

My reaction is that this last is well put, but does it have to imply the 
lack of a sense of self-worth? How could it? Why fight with "six guns 
blazing" if you--and others--are not seen as something worth fighting for? 
It seems clear enough that a sense of self-worth *could* be a trap but 
lacking it could so easily be one too, and perhaps a greater one. A better 
stance would, I think, recognize that there are appropriate and 
inappropriate ways of thinking about and valuing oneself and others. One 
should search for what is right and best rather than summarily rejecting 
any idea that the self has worth.


Mike Perry

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17297