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An old story (the source eludes me) tells of villains who lay siege to a city and threaten the lives of everyone within. But they tell the inhabitants, “If you send out one person to die, we will kill them and spare everyone else.” After much discussion within the city, they decided that everyone in the city was equally valuable, so they couldn’t choose just one, so the entire city must die.
I love thought experiments like this, and this one resonates with me. Defining a person’s value based on their perceived ability to contribute to society is fraught with problems. We can’t even agree on the value of the contribution, as each of us has different needs and priorities.
Value is relative. In D&D 5e, money isn’t as valuable as it was in previous editions, especially at higher levels. In earlier editions, Charisma was a dump stat, but now, it’s more important than Strength to most characters.
Value, by definition, is what someone is willing to pay or invest in the valued object. Even though my depression often makes me feel worthless, I know that’s a lie. I know that my wife would do anything for me and spends a lot of time and energy just to find ways to spend time alone with me. If I needed help, my kids would drop everything to be there for me. Same with some close friends, and it’s the core of my spiritual beliefs. And of course, that’s mutual.
Regardless of how you feel about yourself at any given moment, you are valuable enough that for your sake, the whole city must die. When you feel worthless, know that your feelings don’t determine your value, but rather how important you are to others. And even if nobody besides us knows and values you, we absolutely do, enough that we’re not going to let the villains destroy you or the city. We’re rolling initiative and fighting alongside you. Because that’s where we want to be, and you are whom we want to be with. |
