The Value Of A Person
February, 2020 Editorial
www.ink2quill.com

What is the measure of a (person)? What is a person worth in this modern age of the beginning of the 21st century? J.K. Rowling gave a good quote, among the best when she said.

“If you want to see the true measure of a man (person), watch how he or she treats their inferiors, not their equals.” J.K. Rowling

I love this quote so much I quoted it on my webpage. What a good quote that is so relevant in these times. So what is the measure of a person? Well, the answer to that question depends on who you ask and when too but, and here´s a big but, if you are talking about a human being then the answer is the same. That is to say, you cannot assign a numerical or exchange value for a person, any person. Isn´t that obvious?

Well, times have changed. The truth is that as more and more of our societies are dependent on emerging technologies. These technologies help us manage our lives, companies and governments for cheaper costs and sometimes faster results. I could go on and on talking about the benefits of technology and how the latest discoveries and inventions are not just useful but also exciting to hear. The other day I watched the video of a man who is working on creating a flying suit. It was big and clunky but looked promising. I watched him fly over water like something out of a science fiction film. Honestly, to me it just looked like fun. It looked like something I would do on vacation, right after snorkeling with tropical fish.

Being the science fiction fan that I am I have to also discuss a more disturbing side to our techno loving society. Some argue that we have already reached the point where technology has begun to control our society. For example, so many vacationers look to their app when searching for restaurants, sights to see or shows to go to. Word of mouth is still a big influence on people but much less so. How many great restaurants and shows don´t get the foot traffic they deserve because a certain app doesn´t recognize them, for one reason or another?

What about more serious topics like access to the services of society? Think of healthcare, the job market, the guarantee of civil liberties and how much of a burden society might consider someone to be. Is it right for the computer programs of society decide when someone is not worth the investment of medical care? When is a person no longer worth the investment of resources? Pretty soon a person will have a numerical worth, like a social credit score, (as a matter of fact the two might become one and the same), and that will be their worth. It will go down as they age, develop certain health issues, live in certain areas or live through certain events like the soldier in a war. The number, whether it´s in dollars, euros, credits or health score points is the worth of a person and will determine how a person will be treated by society. This has far reaching implications that I don´t feel have been thought out enough.

So I have to ask again, what is the worth of a person? Do you know your worth?

John

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