Three Kinds of Value

Originally Posted April 7, 2002

Well, in the last few days I have learned a few things about the world and myself. Last week, the thought entered my mind that I should quit firefighting, if not completely, for Dekalb. I wrote a letter up the chain of command requesting a listing of all items that I have been issued that they will require me to return if I "resign my position." Now in reality, the idea of quitting was only something that popped into my head in a moment of despair. Why despair? That's a good question.

Let me first, however, address my views on value. Your job, just like all things in life, is assigned a value. Now this may be the monetary value that the world assigns it or it can be an emotional or transitory value or a combination of any of the three.

Emotional value is something like the value we assign to pictures of family. The world recognizes these pictures as universally having a value based solely on the value of the materials used to create the image. The image itself has no value. With emotional value, we often hold something to be more valuable to ourselves for the obvious reason that it means something to us that others perhaps do not comprehend at the same level. For example, a picture of Paula holding Ben just after he was born is something that most people in the world would empathize an approximated emotional value based on having similar pictures of their own which they value more than the material costs inherent in producing them. Empathy, however, is not an accurate barometer as to the value which I assign the picture but merely the approximated value.

Transitory value is something that means a lot to someone else, but has no worth to you, outside of its monetary value. In this instance, a relationship to a person places value on the object. For example, I know that Paula likes her pink rag rug, I hate the pink rag rug. The pink rag rug does not for myself even hold the monetary value which the market placed on it. However, Paula's attachment to it does hold value for me. As in algebra, if A=B, and B=C, then A=C. I emotionally value Paula (I am unaware of her present monetary value), Paula emotionally and perhaps monetarily values the pink rag rug, therefore, I value the pink rag rug by the Transitory Property of Equality.

Now, having briefly explained my views on value, let's now discuss the value I place on my job as a firefighter. It certainly has monetary value, as I am paid to do the job. Some have argued that the monetary value assigned this position is not congruent with it's worth to those we serve and I sometimes believe they are correct. And even though the monetary value of my job has not risen, the monetary value of employment in itself has risen recently as is evident in the rising unemployment rate. Most importantly I value the few times that I have been able to directly affect someone in need of help, the so-called times that I can say I think I "made a difference". In short I value my job as a firefighter more than I do the possibility of making a better living doing something else.

Because I have made this choice regarding my primary career, I feel I have no right to complain in any capacity about my job. After all, if I truly don't like it I should just quit. While this sounds drastic, and as Paula would describe it "absurdly black and white", it is the truth of the matter. While I am almost entirely unable to change any of the unpleasant political aspects of working "for the people" I have total control over whether I continue to subject myself to the unpleasantness.

Now for some real news. Ben can say all sorts of things like "DaDa", "Shhhh" which means shoe, "Burrr" which means bird, and "Adadoo" which Paula says is "I love you." Not only that but he has four molars now. He also has a cackle of a laugh that is infectious.