A piece of jewellery. Just a little piece of metal. Why does it hold so much value? Sure it’ll last for a while…and it’s relatively rare. But does that account for the emotional attachment to a small band of gold? A little enamel knick-knack? A scrap of paper with a few scribbles on it?
The answer is an obvious no. Items have value because we assign them value.
I was offered a necklace the other day. I like it, but it’s silvery and chunky and therefore not my brand of jewellery. Yes I know it belonged to Andrew’s nana…but that doesn’t change the fact that I wouldn’t wear it.
And then he asked if I would take care of it for him. An immediate yes, because that’s different.
And guess what? I’m wearing it. This calls my earlier statement into question, you’d think. But. Taking care of it for him means that he trusts me with something belonging to his nana. That means that wearing the necklace is like wearing his trust. What a beautiful adornment!! Trust goes with anything! Trust suits everything! Of course I’ll wear it!
…
I’m valuing it because it’s emotionally significant. I don’t care if it has physical value, or even physical beauty. Trust is very important to me.
I wrote this one a while ago. Still true! 😀
