What are you worth?

So looking for jobs is always a bit of a fun exercise in self-worth. I have been told it has not always been this way, but that my generation grew up in times of economic security and prosperity, and are relatively spoiled in this regard. But...

My grandfather sat me down when I was 12 and told me that what was most important in life is to find a job, and to stick it out till I retired. Life, for him, was clearly split into the time that prepared you for working, the time that you worked, and then the reward of retirement for a life of good work.

The problem is that he found himself retired and a widower, with a half-completed dream house that he could barely will his body to get around, and a dysfunctional family. Some reward.

But when it comes to self-worth, there is an other tricky issue. What makes me worth more than the man with no education who farms 12 hours a day for barely a dime? Is there some intrinsic difference of worth that says that I should earn $12 an hour, and he $0.10? Seems like I have had different opportunities, and that is about all.

In a world where economic disparity is prevalent and real, perhaps, then, a better question is not what I am worth but rather what do I need, and what can I provide. What potentials and opportunities lay ahead of me, and what must I do to take advantage of those to the fullest?

Hmmm... not sure that makes life any easier.

~ matt