Intrinsic value vs. Subjective value

Let's break this down and unpack these ideals

“The desire to be loved is the last illusion. Give it up and you will be free.” -Margaret Atwood

The main reason I suspect why Free Market Capitalism has yet to be fully adopted at a global scale is because the vast majority of human beings still do not want to ascribe subjective value (commidify or monetize) that which has intrinsic value.

I am new to studying Economics as a discipline, but I have yet to stumble upon any scholarship that goes into human rights issue this in depth from this framework.

When you desire to be loved so much, you desire to be loved for your intrinsic value. Yet, value in Capitalism within the paramaters of supply and demand creates subjective value only, so no one loves anyone for their intrinsic value because instrinsic value has no cost and it is free. Some people call this a transactional way of relating.

There is something taboo, something that makes people's skin crawl that they will need to prove their worth to their community, when deep down, at a childlike level, we know that we have intrinsic value. And, what we have to offer should not be measured by a subjective value system because our talents and worth are innate and eternal.

At a global scale, we have yet to reconcile these opposing forces of human rights. Indeed, we do have an obligation of sorts to provide for our community because we are also consuming the resources of our community just by being alive. This creates a balanced ratio of consumption vs. production. It's very important for us to figure out where we are needed (therefore valued) by our community so that we have a sense of belonging and purpose, and on the other hand, many many people feel a repulsion to measuring this concept in a transactional manner. It should be measured by its natural utility to the community and not by some odd system of weights, numbers, and metals, which essentially removes itself from outside of the eco-system it is serving. Yes, please read that again! It's a riddle!

The Margaret Atwood quote really helped me wrap my head around Free Market Capitalism and what it demands of us in this current epoch. My interpretation is that we must drop the illusion that we hold intrinsic value in our current human condition. Once we give up this childlike longing to be loved and wanted for our intrinsic value, we can be free to present ourselves subjectively to the free market for the talents, services, and products we provide.

This process has the potential to liberate human talent at a global scale if the individual can adopt a matured sense of belonging that I feel Free Market Capitalism demands of us.

In this world, we are not owed a sense of belonging and we are not owed intrinsic value. We must provide something of utility now in a new way that is requiring us to put some skin in the game of life. There is most likely a supply and demand for your talents but now we need to craft and curate our portfolio within the parameters and rules that is expected of us in Capitalism, which imposes very strict conditions upon human creativity, productivity, and ingenuity. Benevolence, collaboration, and generosity is frowned upon in Free Market Capitalism and replaced with discernment, fiscal responsibility, and competitiveness. This is a generalized, sweeping statement that is not true in every single circumstance.

Margaret Atwood's quote was a game-changer, eureka moment for me! I finally understood the conflict in my heart that I was fighting to understand and fighting to reconcile since childhood. I now feel liberated as the quote states! And, I am re-orientating myself around the expectations of the free market so I can provide a subjective value to the people with my talents.

I leave you with another favorite quote (well, a lyric) that has always stuck with me in tough times.

"You can't always get what you want, you get what you NEEEEEDDDDD!" -The Rolling Stones

About Kate: I hold two bachelors of arts degrees from The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in Linguistics and Italian Studies. The professional path I have walked so far is one of me evolving into my complexities as an artist, a philomath (scholar), and a businesswoman. I have 13+ years of business development, analytics, and entrepreneurial experience across an array of industries. My career has been and continues to be an unfolding in contrast to a standard, linear career path. My artistic platform is called Priestess House: where cosmology meets our reality. I live in Kalamazoo, Michigan with my two sons, George and Peter. You can find my music on Soundcloud @katearcangeli