The Valuation Game

by Karen Bellenir

A recent post making its rounds on social media was probably supposed to be motivational. I found its conclusions disturbing.

According to the post, a bar of iron had a value of five dollars. It didn’t specify the type of iron, the size of the bar, or its condition, so there’s no way to confirm the truth of this foundational assessment. It then went on to compare the prices of items that could be made with the iron. Horseshoes, it claimed, were worth a little more than double the cost of the iron. It then talked about needles, although I’m not sure whether sewing needles or syringes were intended. The post claimed that these converted the five dollars’ worth of raw iron into something valued in the thousands of dollars. After this, it discussed an intricate component in the mechanism that enables mechanical watches to keep time. Using the iron in this way, the post claimed, increased the material’s value into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The post concluded, therefore, that a person’s value was based on what that person made of him- or herself.

The post’s creator apparently failed to consider that none of the items into which the raw material could be processed achieved the end results by themselves. All of the examples given were fabricated from various grades of steel, and the manufacturing processes required differed significantly. The horseshoes may have been handcrafted by a blacksmith or a ferrier. The needles, whether for stitching fabric or piercing skin, required complex machinery and multiple production steps. As for watch components, the post’s pricing claims specified balance springs. A balance spring is part of the oscillating unit used to track time in mechanical watches. I did some looking around on the internet to see how these small, delicate components were made. Monochrome, a magazine focused on high-end watches, says the process blends manual craftsmanship with high-tech, precision industrial processes. Making the wire used in crafting the springs takes about two weeks. After that, the wire must be shaped, cut, coiled, heat-treated, and pressed.

The logic presented in this social media post inspired me to consider several things, although my own conclusions may be at odds with what the post’s creator expected.

First, I thought about a variety of people I know in various circumstances. I realized that people don’t become who they are by themselves. Each individual possesses a unique set of advantages and disadvantages. People are born into different families, into distinctive situations, and into diverse communities. They attend schools with peers who express assorted cultural expectations, and they learn under the guidance of teachers with varying abilities and resources. Life experiences shape people’s aspirations, and opportunity opens and shuts dissimilar sets of doors.

 More than this, ascribing a dollar amount as the only arbitrator of value seemed to ignore the requirements of unrelated situations. An equestrian on a mount in need of a shoe would likely not prefer a precisely balanced watch component, despite its greater cost. Similarly, a person who relied on insulin injections would be poorly served by even the most handsomely crafted horseshoe. All of the items mentioned by the post served within specific, noninterchangeable realms of need. People, I have learned, are not interchangeable.

Additionally, I reacted negatively to the idea that people had value only to the extent that their achievements could be totaled on a balance sheet. I found myself reminded of the biblical principal that all people are created by God and in God’s image. I felt challenged to look for the uniqueness of each individual person I encountered, and I discovered that when I looked with more spiritually informed eyes, I admired the strength with which people have faced many challenges.

The social media post I saw had been shared tens of thousands of times and had received hundreds of likes, although happily, it did have a few dissenters. I hope you will join me in saying “no” to the flawed logic that measures us against each other, and that together we can join in a mission to see each person as a unique individual of matchless value.

[September 7, 2018; from the author’s newspaper column, which appears monthly in the Farmville Hearld.]

Bipeds in a Cage

By Karen Bellenir

Trees surround my home on three sides. A small yard serves to separate the walls from the wilds. I enjoy the setting because it lets me peer out my windows to watch woodland creatures scampering about in their natural habitat.

I was recently startled to discover that several individuals from among the local fauna seem to have taken an interest in observing me. Some days I feel as if I am a biped living in an elaborate cage in some sort of reverse zoo. I imagine that parental animals bring their offspring to see this exotic, but frail, monster that must be kept in a climate-controlled environment in order to thrive. They may regale one another with stories about how when it escapes, it can wreak havoc. Or perhaps they point out commonalities and shared traits and bemoan the lack of interspecies communication that could potentially open up vast areas of understanding and wisdom.

The squirrels began it. One morning, I discovered a squirrel sitting on my porch looking in through a front window. I don’t know how long he had been there watching. Monitoring me as I roamed inside my native habitat, it would have seen me fetch a cup of coffee, make a piece of toast, and flip through the previous day’s mail. If the squirrel were capable of human style thought, it might have made a connection between the large box-like appliance that stores my food and its own various hiding places for the acorns that fall from the chestnut oak behind my house. Perhaps it would have concluded, “Aha! Humans also try to hide some food away for future use.” Maybe squirrel children hear fairy tales about the industriousness some humans show as they prepare for winter.

Curiosity among the outdoor residents apparently spread. A toad took an evening position in the front sidewalk where it could observe the order in which we turned interior lights on and off. A raccoon explored our collection of yard maintenance equipment. A mother quail led a line of inquisitive chicks on a tour through the boundary between the grass and the trees.

Then a pair of cardinals started hanging out on the back deck rail. The brilliantly red male seemed to enjoy bringing his demurely outfitted wife on expeditions to peer into our windows. I wondered if the couple was amazed to realize that my husband and I were also a couple, a male and a female bound together as a unit. During their evening songs, perhaps they compared their own nest building behaviors to the bizarre rituals they observed as my husband and I pounded nails to hang pictures inside our own habitat.

The hummingbirds were the ones who invested the time and effort to train us. When they arrive each spring, my husband and I receive their instruction that involves sharp dives with needle-like beaks aimed at our faces. We have learned to respond by hanging feeders filled with sugar water. When the feeders empty, the dive-bombing resumes until the matter is rectified. The birds will tire of the game in autumn and fly south for other sports, but next spring they’ll be back to test our recall.

The deer use more caution. A few weeks ago, a doe brought her two fawns to learn about human behavior. When I opened the door and went out to the driveway, they scurried behind two maples. It was early, and my car windows were covered with dew so I took a few minutes toweling them off. I may have heard the doe whisper something about my legs being insufficient for distance running. As a result, she snorted that I needed to be transported in a dangerous, artificially constructed pen. I couldn’t tell if she felt sorry for my limitations or angry about the destruction caused as a result of them.

I don’t know who may show up next. The closer I watch the more elusive some of the creatures seem to be. As they pass by and inspect my habitat, I hope they pause long enough for me to enjoy watching them in theirs.

[August 3, 2018; from the author’s newspaper column, which appears monthly in the Farmville Hearld.]

Journals for Spiritual Discovery

Do you wish you knew what the Bible had to say about your life’s situations? Do you wish it had real answers for your daily troubles? Are you tired of listening to platitudes as other people glibly quote—or misquote—it?

Pier Press® offers journal series for Bible study based on the simple metaphor of walking and talking with a friend. Focused on the four gospels, each journal's pages provide prompts to assist you as you interact with the gospel writer's message and record your observations. The goal isn't to rush you through the gospel, but to let you take a leisurely stroll through its treasures.

The journal's format was developed by Karen Bellenir, a writer and editor with diverse experience across multiple genres and author of Which Good Book? An Impartial Guide to Choosing a Bible Translation. Bellenir explains why she felt a new format for a Bible study journal was needed. "I have been involved in personal and group Bible studies for most of my adult life. The ones I encountered seemed to fall into two broad categories. One type focused on learning about the text—uncovering details about who wrote it, identifying the cultural circumstances that influenced the composition, and considering its role within the greater context of other Biblical writings and history. The second kind concerned itself with conveying specific nuggets of wisdom or theology discovered within the text—like a guided tour of spiritual highlights. While both types of Bible studies have benefits to offer, they left me unsatisfied."

She goes on to explain why she felt unsatisfied. "Learning about the text was interesting, but it didn’t help me understand how the principles applied to the challenges of my life. And listening to what someone else discovered was like watching a video of a friend’s vacation—entertaining and instructive. But I wanted to take the journey myself."

If you’re ready to begin your own journey through the gospels, the Pier Press® WALK with journal series can help you find a path.