Cost – Value – Worth –
Investment may not be seen by most as the four horsemen of the apocalypse,
however I would submit that they are four words whose wider use is becoming
lost in our modern world and whose predominate use today could help bring about
a more cynical and negative world, one that is focussed on financial gain.
All four of these words
have a range of different meanings and yet today these definitions for each
form within our society a virtual, if not actual, hierarchy where, their
association with money is what springs, first and foremost, into people’s
minds.
However they all have
other meanings that are, in my view, far more positive and can bring far more
into our lives, if you like a much deeper use than this monetary one and here I
would like to challenge you to start to change the current thinking on the use
and positioning of these four words – Cost – Value – Worth - Investment
Cost
The usually used
definitions of this word is brings on negative feelings, these are; to require
a payment – to cause a loss, a suffering or a sacrifice, to calculate the ‘price’
of something.
It is my belief that of
the four, Cost – Value – Worth – Investment - we should regard Cost as a highly negative
word and thus as one to be avoided in our writing and our thought.
Value
This can be the
quantification of something as a way of measuring it against a specific unit,
often monetary and equally as a way of more subjective observation of what does
a certain element add to a work of art, a performance, a speech and so forth.
If we choose to use the
latter interpretation of Value we can move away form a monetary dominated
developed world and towards a more appreciative and rewarding society.
Worth
This word is often
linked to the previous one, value. It is often defined as being the value of
something, especially in terms of currency. Another definition is that of the
sum that something can be bought for – again usually in monetary terms.
The two, far more positive,
uses of the word and the ones that I like are;
- The goodness, usefulness or importance of
someone or something, irrespective of financial value or wealth
- The wealth of a person, group, or
organisation or other entity
Both definitions
meaning; that extra, or special, something that is brought to by a person,
project or organisation to the world and which goes beyond monetary measurement
– and quite close to that alternative use of the previous word, Value. Imagine
what a powerful tool the two together could be!
Investment
Usually today seen as
the setting aside of money in some way that it in the future it will produce a
greater amount of money. Personally I prefer another definition – that of a
contribution of something such as time, energy, effort, skills, knowledge to
take forward a project or to develop a person.
Of the four words – Cost
-Value – Worth – Investment, I
like Investment the most as it is perhaps the easiest to deploy in a
non-monetary manner.
Let us make better use
of our language, better use of ourselves and as a result avoid thinking and
talking about cost, cast this matter aside and believe in other things.
Let us bring Value,
Worth and Investment all together and ask where can we add Value and increase
our Worth to others by investing something, other than money, in one or more of
the following people, charitable endeavours and/or community work?
Thank you for reading
and if I have given you cause to think please leave a comment.
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