There is probably not a single person who at any one moment in time hasn’t thought … ‘is it worth it’? I can certainly put my hand up to that thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of us think it quite often.
But is it a bad or negative thought? Well it can be. It can even be destructive. Or it could actually lead us to examine part of our life which could in turn, lead to a positive action.
I suppose the ‘it’ is rather important. If ‘it’ is something like housework, painting and decorating, homework – things that are everyday and common – then we are expressing a tiredness, a boredom. And we eventually get over it and just carry on doing ‘it’ anyway!
But what if ‘it’ is giving to charity; going to visit a relative or friend you’d rather not see; going out to vote; turning out for the weekly or monthly meeting – then perhaps your actions will vary much more and give you pause for thought.
Then again, if we understand what the ‘it’ is, how do we measure the ‘worth’ – and to whom?
I suppose the common element of the worth is time. How much time you spend doing something and is it worth giving it up for something you now question. The answers are personal and for two different people faced with the same situation, may well be different.
Our time can so easily be ‘lost’ doing things we don’t want to. Let’s not be afraid to challenge how we spend it. It is a finite commodity which will, one day run out.
Just remember, that when you are asking that question about someone else – they may also be asking it about you!
I thought ‘Defending the Poor’ was an excellent Thought for the Week.Someone who works voluntarily for the food bank told me that she was astonished that so many of those who came were actually in work and not receiving a living wage. It is not just defending the poor. The poor don’t realise how many of them there are. Too many of them just keep their heads down and try to cope.