Human Value

Want to know about an old, habitual attitude of mine that was not commonly shared amongst others? Every now and then, I use to ask myself what makes a great person. What is it that sees certain people so highly respected and why some are respected more than others. Doesn't seem like much for me to have been completely wrapping my head around, but I'm just one of those people to go where very few do (I explore the more unpopular ideas and make a bigger deal out of the basic things). This was a topic I couldn't avoid. Sometimes when the answer wasn't provided or hinted out to me in any way, I liked to know what other people saw in me. I was genuinely curious as to what about me struck a few as being intriguing or pleasurable. There is no lying about the warmth and attraction I gathered from the responses given to me. But all this time digging into other people and there was still little I gained from it for the answer to my burning question. So I thought of other methods. 

Let's say I was to ask a large group of people one by one on the street this question of what makes someone special or worthy of praise. What would the common answers be? I like to think they would include 'being nice', 'being caring', 'being popular' and 'sharing similar traits or interests'. All of these aren't necessarily wrong, but I personally find them to be unsatisfying as they are somewhat effortless answers. They are ones both ordinary and tedious without any intense thought put into them. So being the complicated person I am, I wanted to shine a brighter light on the question for myself. I wanted a deeper and more detailed conclusion. It was not long ago I then looked at the work and popularity of other social media users. I managed to see how they loved what they did. I saw how they went about sharing their joy and getting on with their loyal followers. I even looked at my own work on social media. Suddenly the name was born: 'Human Value'. And I immediately discovered three significant components of it which highlighted the work, the artist and their connection to the world. Allow me to share them with you:

1. MEAN BUSINESS

The first major component of human value is meaning business, which is human in action. It involves having an aim or purpose and working extremely hard towards achieving it. Think of it as God (or any god for that matter) giving you the gift of life. They then ask you what you plan on doing with it. What is your life for? It's similar to a career or the plans of one. The difference being that it's the ultimate pursuit and burning desire. Meaning business isn't just taking any path. It's taking the greatest of dreams or wishes and turning it into reality. We would all rush in to make this the case with a snap of the fingers, but it's nowhere near that simple. Lying in front of us all is our own version of life's biggest obstacle course. The countless steps to the holy grail, with some much tougher than others. Regardless of the difficulty though, any proper undertaking of the work is bound to get noticed. It answers for nearly all of human value, which is why this component comes first. After all, they do say that actions speak the loudest.

Whenever we perform certain activities to share with others, we're to also show in some way that we care about them. We're to prove how seriously we take our efforts. It sounds difficult when explained, but little do we know that this is something that happens all the time without us realising. The joy and care in our work is strongly demonstrated in many ways, from the time spent on it to the range of our display (by this, I mean how much of our work and interests we show). Owning both passion and determination tells people that we see life (especially one with success) being a great deal to us. Meaning business always involves a goal, and that goal is our passion in its purest form. We are forever performing tasks in order to achieve a desired result. This result can be one for ourselves or perhaps one shared between two or more of us. What is certain is that none of us ever involve ourselves in any activity solely for the process. Even with a small role or fraction of responsibility, we are still putting in the hard yards and ensuring our job is done to perfection.

2. HAVE CHARACTER

'Don't take life too seriously'. We've all come across this line at some time during our living years, and it's for a good reason. There is just no getting by on business alone. One thing every one of us is drawn towards is a bubbly personality. After we go on to explore and commend an artist's work, we're then wanting to get a closer look at the artists themselves. We show strong interest in their character and are eager to learn about how they approach their business. Some of us even try reaching them to get a personal taste. This happens with just about everybody, including myself. I share my work on social media and a few people see it. One or two are interested enough to then privately message me about it, asking a range of questions and persisting to find common ground. I try making sure my best behaviour is on display so that they walk away knowing the time and effort spent in reaching out to me was worth it. It is extremely important for artists to maintain a healthy relationship with every one of their followers. This includes good manners when communicating. If they are not so colourful or welcoming, then people will turn their backs and potentially spread the word. All of a sudden, the artist's work doesn't account for much.

Character is naturally the first thing here we develop. But I choose to list it at number two because it's very rarely the first thing we see in other people. When it comes to actors, we first love their roles. With musicians, it's the songs. With painters, it's their artworks and so on. We're also to remember that human value is both judged and measured on contributions to the world. It is proven by everyone but ourselves. High self-esteem is no doubt a nice attribute, and our own thoughts about the work we do can certainly be valid on the occasional basis. But they mean little in the grand scheme of things. It's an obvious fact that reward comes from giving. To earn money, we work. To earn praise, we deliver. To earn trust, we fight. Even the lottery requires us to put ourselves in the running. Nothing in life is handed on a silver platter. If we're wanting to be valuable humans, we must find or create something of our own to share with the world. Something that most will both approve and greatly appreciate. Character alone means just about nothing if it isn't used or put to the test.

3. INSPIRE OTHERS

The strength of our friendships and relationships with people around us, heavily depends on how much we think of them during our work. Are we creating stuff for the people? Are we dedicating things to the people? Are we wanting to truly get in with the people? Inspiring others may not seem that significant as many just fight to make a living for themselves. But for the rest of us with significant passions for things like Art, Knowledge and Discovery, we are giving ourselves to the communities and even the world. As I mentioned earlier, the reward is what we're forever chasing after. One of the most powerful rewards comes in the form of praise from the public. It's one I find to be spiritually elevating. The warmth and approval for our work and its positive impact on those we reach, becomes somewhat of an addiction. Its another natural force that drives us into revisiting the challenges with both ease and greater appreciation. Inspiration is a permanent mark in life, and it leaves one to be happy with much of what they've achieved when they meet the end.

Inspiration is mutual and shared between all. Even professional and long-serving artists are positively influenced by their followers. Take a musician for instance. Their profits rely strongly on the success of their work, which in this case is the sales. Listeners are encouraged to purchase a musician's work or attend their concerts. If they aren't spending and the numbers are low, then chances are the musician's spot in the industry can't be sustained. The musician themselves learn that they aren't attracting and inspiring a large enough audience. This sees them not getting the pay they probably desire. The passion for making music can then wither away and the likelihood of another career search slightly increases. See what I mean? A true artist would understand that their followers can determine their fortunes. While money and success are what we all looking to earn, it's how we earn them that is more significant. The voices of praise from admirers and fans are what really motivate a person in continuing to feed their creative mind to the world. Sometimes critical reception can play a part in sales. Let's say a number of negative reviews regarding one of a musician's albums reach out to the masses. This encourages these masses to avoid spending on the musician. 

For any one of us to inspire however, we're to first be inspired ourselves. This usually happens during our childhood and adolescent years. Sources of inspiration need to reach out to us and get our attention. They then have to prove of their appealing qualities and convince us that our future lies with them. That is when we find our path and the journey to becoming sources of inspirations ourselves begins. Every single one of us begin with a dream. Some of us who are willing to go all the way in making it come true and do so, then become people to help and inspire others fulfill their dreams and aspirations. It's a cycle much like children of mothers and fathers growing up to become mothers and fathers themselves. Being a source of inspiration however, is more than just an indication of success. We become a form of guidance, and are encouraged to be the moral support for the next generation. And by doing this, we further improve our overall image and become more celebrated figures in our communities.

1 + 2 + 3 = HUMAN VALUE

The best people in my eyes, are those who are aware they share a world with billions of others. On top of learning as well as undergoing natural development, they are building on passions and bringing their greatest one to life. With their amazingly sophisticated and well-mannered character, they embrace the construction of new families, friendships and other alliances whilst testing themselves in creating something worthwhile. Finally, the best people acknowledge their loyal admirers and most inspired followers. They throw their gratitude, love and support to each and every one of these people, further using them as a fuel source in prolonging their respected work. Human value at its finest. I might not be a great example of this (nor do I ever think I will reach such heights), but all it takes is simple understanding and a little bit of everything here for anybody to express such value. It's what sees most of us loved and appreciated today.

Travis "TJ" James