Worth- Function: noun
1 a : monetary value b : the equivalent of a specified amount or figure
2 : the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held
3 a : moral or personal value
4 : WEALTH, RICHES
I think the fourth definition of the word is what people usually call to mind when the word is used in conversation. I do however like what the DeMotivators over at Despair.com have done with the word. In fact, I like what they have done period. Too many times I encounter people in life who are necessary where they are. With puffed out chests, raised chins, and nose tips pointed skywards they will astound you with a barrage of facts as to why they are important. The fact is they are necessary to perform their assigned task but not important in the bigger picture. The most obvious example I can provide of this is a gas station attendant in New Jersey. Late one night returning from a trip down south, a convoy I was in pulled into a gas station on the New Jersey Turnpike. It was late, and although we all wanted to be home, we were below a quarter tank that would undoubtedly have left us stranded somewhere in the middle of the road if we did not fuel up. In New Jersey there is no such thing as self-serve at the fuel station. This is something that to be honest we were not aware of. We lined our vehicles up and prepared to engage in fueling when the attendant ran out and insisted that we cease a desist immediately, which we complied with. He then went on to instruct us that this was New Jersey and we are not authorized to pump fuel in the state. As the semi-leader of the group I apologized and then we began to patiently wait for him to start fueling our vehicles. He proceeded to attend to every other vehicle in the station except ours. When another attendant attempted to help us he was barked upon by the first one saying, "I'll get to them when I can." This can easily turn into a post on poor customer service but this is about worth. Needless to say, after fifteen more minutes, we pumped our own fuel. He did become flustered and yelled and carried on. We ignored him and proceeded fueling our vehicles. He demanded the manager inside to shut down the pumps, but the manager had seen what was occurring and refused to do as the attendant said. The other attendant at this point realized that the manager was backing our power play and that the first attendant was distracted by his refusal to shut down the fuel. He came over and cleaned our bug splattered windshields. Before pulling out I made it a point to tip the other attendant who attempted to help us fuel and did clean our windshields. The fact that he made the attempt was worth more to me than anything the other attendant could have done. For those of you suffering under the assault of Corporate America and their motivational tools then be sure to go to Despair.com. If you do not find it enlightening then at least it should be worth a good chuckle. |
