Worth
Definition:
The perceived value of the self.
In truth, worth is inherent and not contingent on performance, status, or validation — but ego makes it conditional.
Nature:
Ego-Level Worth (Conditional): Tied to achievement, approval, comparison. “I am worthy if I succeed / if others like me / if I meet expectations.” This creates fragile identity loops.
System-Level Worth (Baseline): Worth is assumed, like gravity — not a variable to be calculated. You are already “enough” as the ground of being.
Nondual Worth (Dissolved): The very notion of “worth vs. worthlessness” collapses; as Atman = Brahman, the question becomes meaningless.
Mechanics:
Ego Loop: Worth gets coded as a program: seek validation → feel temporarily whole → validation fades → chase again.
Distraction Effect: Much energy is wasted trying to prove or defend worth instead of expressing life naturally.
Contradiction Trigger: “I must be worthy” vs. “I feel unworthy” creates tension, driving perfectionism or collapse.
Debugging: Seeing that worth is not conditional breaks the loop — nothing needs to be proven.
Evolution: Maturity is moving from proving → assuming → dissolving the very category.
Metaphor:
Worth is like sunlight. The sun doesn’t have to prove it shines — it simply does.
Or: like a seed. It doesn’t earn the right to grow; growth is inherent in its nature.
Refined View:
The ego’s obsession with worth is a distraction.
True freedom comes not from proving or defending worth, but from realizing it was never in question.