How do you measure value?

Let’s do a quick thought experiment: After you read the question below, think about it for just a few seconds then scroll past the image and continue reading.

Ready?

How do you picture the word “value”?

When you look in the mirror, do you value what you see?

I first have to confess that I was asking a leading question.

But when you did think about the question, about picturing value— among those thoughts did a symbol of currency (e.g. $) or thoughts of money pop into your head?

You could be an enlightened individual who does not associate value with money at all. However, I certainly do connect value and money, even when thinking upon the question past a few seconds. Though I do frame money within a specific context of value.

I asked the leading question though because I do want to highlight that we do associate value with money.

So let’s continue this thought exercise and stretch this association into making the word “money” synonymous with the word “value.”

Example question:

• How much money would you give for a candy bar?
• How much value would you give for a candy bar?

The real question:

• How much much money would you give for a person you love and care about?

Remember, “money” = “value” at this point. Feel free to interchange them freely.

Now this is all a thought experiment and I believe you and I certainly do not value people we love and care in a monetary sense. Or even any people in in that sense.

But we need recognize, despite the pain caused by such a reality, that people we care for or not, are valued monetarily.

Let’s step back into the experimental frame of mind for another moment and go back to the candy bar questions.

Which question would be easier/more convenient to answer?

I’m going to close this experiment and leave the many thoughts and questions hanging for now. But I will be continuing this train of thought soon in posts to come.

From the Land of Here perspective and essentially, my (Barry Low’s) perspective, thinking about higher level concepts, like value, is critical to a more hopeful future. Furthermore, to live up to the Land of Here Vision, my goal is to figure out how to make these things we think about actionable and accessible. I do have some ideas about how we could possibly go about this, but the truth is it will not be possible to do so without your help.

Challenges abound: I lightly touched on Land of Here’s functional starting point in my spiel practice. The challenge, as you can see, is connecting such a fine detail of action with the bigger picture thought like what we briefly examined above. Your help in connecting our values and ideals with our actions is one of the places that I need your collaboration on!

Please continue on this journey with me!

Hi, my name is Barry Low and this blog is about making tangible a dream called Land of Here — a business that nurtures communities by connecting local people with local resources — currently focused on our food system.