Complex Numbers

Value Judgments

"The Ultimate List of 400 Personal Values?" I'd bet I can think of at least one that's not on the list.

PROMPT May 8th

Take a look at this list of values: https://liveboldandbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/400-personal-values-list...

Pick your top ten values and rank them based on how important they are to you. Then, write about the values you chose and if any have changed throughout your life.

I'm not a consistent person (yes, consistency is on the list). So if I were doing this prompt yesterday, or two hours ago, the result would probably be different.

Without context, I can't tell if these are meant to be values we look for in others, or strive for in ourselves. To me, that's what personal values are -- things to strive for, not fixed personality traits. But in looking for them in others, we see how well the person wears said values. So I'm approaching this as an exercise in what's important to me, things that I either work towards or want to work towards.

Also, "extroversion?" Seriously? Like that's something one can strive for? At least it also includes "introversion."

So to get this out of the way, Waltz's Top Ten Values, As Of The Early Morning of May 8, 2020:

10. Comfort
9. Fairness
8. Wittiness
7. Independence
6. Cleverness
5. Efficiency
4. Learning
3. Wealth
2. Humor

And the #1 value from the list is (drumroll...)

1. Reason

Yes, I'm aware that some of those are considered shallow. So be it. I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not -- well, not unless it's something I want to be, and then I'll pretend the fuck out of it until I become it.

I'm also aware that 8, 6, and 2 are basically restatements of the same thing. Doesn't matter. Comedy is that important to me. Though "cleverness" extends beyond comedy into being able to figure things out. Before you go tearing me up for not being clever, I didn't say I was clever; I said the concept is important to me.

I didn't always realize the importance of comedy in my life. I think most people are like that, at first, not being able to articulate what we value. One day, it struck me that humor -- having a sense of humor, being funny, being perceived as funny -- is actually one of my main motivations in life. I wish I were better at it. Sometimes, I think I'm brilliant. Other times, not so much. Doesn't matter; what matters is that I try. Not only is it important to me to make jokes, but to spread mirth, and to be able to laugh at others' humor.

"Wealth" seems materialistic, I know, but it's a prerequisite for "comfort" and "independence," at least for me. A means to an end, not an end in itself.

As for #1, well, anyone who reads this blog should know that I value reason. Not exclusively, of course; part of "reason" when applied to humans is knowing that they're largely unreasonable, emotional, irrational.

Speaking of reason, the list claims 400 values. I counted the first column: 50. There are eight columns. 50*8=400. Math isn't hard. But one of the items, "knowledgeableness" (wtf) is almost German in its compoundedness. The word is so long that it takes up two lines, and that column isn't any taller than the others. I can't be arsed to count to 400, but that particular column does, indeed, contain only 49 values. Therefore, the title is misleading and whoever put that together should feel bad. Not just for not knowing how to count, but... seriously... "knowledgeableness?"

My browser spell checker doesn't even recognize the word. And yet I still like it better than "being-ness."

In conclusion, I identify with a lot more of those values, but this exercise is Top Ten so that's what I stuck with. Empathy is one example; I've noted before that it's something I want to work on. It's... not going well.

There are also some -- I'm looking at you, being-ness -- that are the polar opposite of what I value. Conformity. Fashion. Extroversion. Piety. And I'm amused that "adequacy" is on there. "Oh, yes, I strive for adequacy. One might say I even have delusions of adequacy."

And what in the liquid hell is "buoyancy?"

Absurdity. Absurdity isn't on the list. I propose it for the Missing Value to make it an even 400. Hell, it might even make my Top 10 next time I think about it. If I ever do. It'll be more efficient if I don't.