The value of people

In Social Work, one of the values that are held is that of the innate worth and dignity of an individual, no matter how hard it may be to see it. This is true of ourselves and of those clients we are serving. This lesson was driven home to me on the very first day of my first class at my first semester at ASU. I was in my SWU 295 class and the teacher pulls out a $20 bill and shows it to the class. She asks, "who would like to have this $20 bill?" All of us think back to the money we just spent on books and the meters that are currently running outside, and of course the choice was easy: We all wanted it! She then crumples up the bill into a teeny tiny little ball, unfolds it and asks, "now that this $20 is all crumpled, who would still like it?" We laughed, is she kidding with this, we're all starving college students right? (As if to prove my point, my stomach rumbles at this) Who cares if it's crumpled, a $20 is a $20 right? So then she tears off a corner, throws it on the ground, stomps on it a few times, reaches down to pick it up and says,"Anyone still want this?" We're all a little confused right now trying to figure out what she was getting at exactly, and then she asks, "even though it's torn, wrinkled, stepped on and dirty, did this $20 lose it's value?" That's when it hit us the point she was trying to make. We are all those $20 bills. We are torn and wrinkled by the experiences in life. Some experience more of this than others, but yet our value remains a constant. So many times it is easy to look at ourselves or at others and see the wrinkles and tears and feel like the value is not there or has decreased. It is essential to remember that this is not the case. Like the $20 we still retain our dignity and self worth and in turn our value as a human being. What kind of Social Worker could we be if we did not remember this? How can you really touch someone's life or help the vulnerable populations if you forget the value they possess. This is truly the most important lesson I have learned in school thus far. It has not only changed how I look at the clients I serve, but also at the way I look at myself. We are all valueable like the $20 was in the story. Sometimes we will come across those who it might be harder to see the value they possess, and we might have to sift through quite a few layers to find it, but I know it's there. Sometimes we just have to search for that golden nugget. I know this lesson learned will be beneficial to my future career as it has taught me the true meaning of empathy and compassion for others as well as for myself.