The Inherent Value of a Person

Though any number of ideas for the title/location of this blog were thought about and discarded (mostly because other people had taken them already), I decided eventually to settle on "inherent value". I settled on this for a very simple reason--no matter how much I ever hate myself or other people, I have a core, almost inexpressible maxim that applies itself to me and everything else I do. Sometimes it causes more trouble than good, but I would be very afraid of myself if I met a version of myself that didn't uphold it.

That maxim is this: There is inherent value in humanity. To expand on that a bit, simply by being a person capable of thinking, expressing, and communicating, every human being has some degree of worth and value inherent to them. Race, creed, sexuality--none of those things factor into it. If I think, and therefore I am, I am worthwhile.

Of course, every absolute has its exceptions. This is also true of this maxim. Unlike any number of other maxims I could come up with, however, the exceptions to this rule run in only one direction--positive. A human being so badly crippled (physically, mentally, or otherwise) that they can no longer communicate with people does not lose their inherent value. Nor does one who is born so defective or otherwise harmed that their capability to operate in society becomes hindered or ruined. Why? That, I can't articulate. Not at the moment I'm sitting here and typing this, anyway. Probably I'll come back to this once my attention is less divided.

Inversely, there are certainly people out there who are horrible people. They have done horrible things, held horrible beliefs, whatever. Those are not inherent traits. Nature versus nurture goes to nurture, every time. Those people may be considered scum for their actions or beliefs, and that may or may not be justified, but that DOES NOT nullify their inherent value as humanity. Does it override it? Maybe. Though I've been angry enough at people or things that have happened to judge for myself whether it does or not, in the end I don't have the right to exact that actual judgement. It isn't my place to decide whether someone's actions have made them less of a person.

The problem, of course, with things like this is that they're so clear and perfectly formed when you think of them, and by the time you get to writing them down they jumble up and contradict themselves and it never looks as nice as it did in your head. Metaphor for life, I suppose.