Posts Tagged ‘value’

They tell me I'm pretty.

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“Everything has  its  beauty, but not everyone sees it.” -Confucius.

What value does being pretty really have? Is it financially gainful?  In some  cases, yes. Is it morally upright?  Does it validate your existence?  It would appear that in many societies it does. Especially if you’re of the female persuasion. There was a time, when I felt validated only by my pretty face. Coming to the conclusion that if nothing else, at least I was pretty. However, I’d much rather have a functioning left arm than  big pretty eyes! Another important question, “What really matters?” I found myself resigned to a  wheelchair, a cane,bulky(heavy)braces, and at one point the ugliest shoes I have ever seen in my life. Where there was once  freedom of movement, cute little  shoes, and fashionable clothes I found myself stuck with the opposite at the time.  Being in these unwanted and unfavorable circumstances made me question my self worth and even  sexuality as a  Woman. I  no longer felt attractive. In turn this effected how I felt and perceived the world around me. It brought with it the question  of, for many other Women who are(or have become) disabled, how do they feel? Because, until certain aspects of your “normal,”  life experience  change, there are so many nuances you don’t realize or perceive.   Sure, it’s quite nice to be told how pretty you are. But really, in the big scheme of things, what does it matter? I remember one comment I received  in particular(though funny at the time) was quite telling of our  general attitude towards physical appearance. “Well, at least it didn’t mess up your face!” In regards to the stroke, although I’ll readily admit I’m thankful it didn’t. However, what if it did!?  Would I find myself relegated to the forgotten  in  the  world’s population?  What a sad  truth this is for our  society. We place value  on things where there isn’t a whole lot and no value on things where there is much. In fact for some time I had to be stopped from giving away all my  belongings, because after what I went through, the value  of them dropped!  At one point in time where I would spend  frivilously, I now carefully(and delibrately) saved. We all know beauty is only skin deep, but how often do we act on that truth? If we actually did, the cosmetics industry would plummet, bank account  balances would rise, and eating disorders would be arcane. Therefore, take care of your physical  health and appreciate the body you have. Especially since it’s on loan and you can’t take it with you!

respect yourself,

bleu

This belongs to me.

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“I think developed countries – so-called developed countries – should reflect upon the way of living and the waste of energy.”- Hugo Chavez.

Just so you know, ownership is an illusion. Because, we can’t take anything with us when this life reaches its final chapter. Therefore, this means you are pretty much a custodian of inanimate objects. The question is, how big of a  custodian job do you want? The more stuff you have the bigger the burden. So much of our time(and life) gets eaten up by working for, shopping for, and paying for said items, and then taking care of it all! After  I nearly  died these inanimate objects lost nearly all their value to me. I began not only going through the loads of things   I owned but also giving away and selling much of it. I no longer found  as much value in  objects as I once had.  Simply put, you assign value to things, they don’t assign value to you. Our culture is unbelievably wasteful to the point of insanity. I still marvel at the hoards of things that occupy giant shopping malls. What happens to it all? Where does it all go?   Furthermore, do we  really need any of it!?   Just watch the video below. Also, avoid regular trips to Forever 21, H&M, and the website Modcloth.com!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI1vlX7OdLM&w=560&h=315%5D

A designer purse will not make you happier, just as  no inanimate object was going to restore the  physical functions I nearly lost in my body. Therefore,  I saw no point in becoming a collector of things that would only burden me. At some point I even questioned a bewildered friend, what the point of saving money was. Since it really didn’t  serve me at the time or hold as much value anymore. When you  nearly lose everything,   lets just say your perspective changes a bit. The continual dance  that people do, to obtain and maintain essentially useless objects became   very unnecessary to me. Instead of petitioning for a better environment, perhaps we should quit dumping tons of unnatural materials into the  Earth.  Our time would be better spent on experiences that create incredible memories, rather than objects  that cause us grief.  Additionally we could use our resources to help another person either financially or with our time. Now that is something very worth doing!

Go minimal!

bleu