The Merrium-Webster Online Dictionary has several different definitions listed for the word "value". The very first defines it as a "fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged"; the following definitions also refer to relative worth of something compared to others. It isn't until the fourth definition that the dictionary defines "value" as something that is assigned by humans, and its arbitrariness is revealed.

A relative recently gave me a sizeable gift certificate to Holt Renfrew. For those who may not know Holt's is a luxury retailer with high-end designer fashion. The gift card I received, which would buy me many nice things in any ordinary store. would not go very far in this store. To that end, my mother and I went to their "last call" outlet store where I succeeded in finding a cute blazer that after 80- 90% discount, fit almost entirely into the budget I had. I won't tell you the original price of the blazer but that if I had that kind of money, I could keep myself in groceries and rent for two months.

Someone out there is, in fact many people out there are walking around paying my rent and grocery money's worth for one single article of clothing, some fragments of cloth stitched together, when that money could be put to so much better use. People are good, and I have no doubt that they do, and would continue to do good things with the resources they have. But, here at least, we are constantly surrounded by voices telling us what we need to be ourselves, make ourselves, and aspire to improve ourselves. That, in fact, is the additional importance of "value": it is not just about the items to which you assign it. Value tends to be attached to something that fulfills you, and has a positive affect on your life. Where are you, who are you, what are you made of when all it takes to complete you is empty luxury? I hope there is no one who is genuinely fulfilled by such things; I sincerely hope it is just another disguise behind which we hide. It makes me sad that any society could have so many different players all aiming to assign significance to such meaningless things, and so many more people ready to accept it.