I find the current tone of the comments in this thread rather upsetting. It feels like a lot of people are arguing to refute OPs position that a person's value is not determined from their material productivity. If this is you, I think you might be in the wrong community. I don't think this is a point of debate in the simple living community.

To say that a person's value is derived from their productivity is to say that you do not value the person, but what they produce. This can be interpreted as viewing a person as a Means to any End, rather than an End in themselves. For me, viewing people as Ends in themselves is a foundational pathos of Simple Living. The idea of valuing people, relationships, love, time, above wealth, material, prestige, speed is what simple living is all about!

Well wishes to you all 😊

I wish I could believe that, but everyone in my life blatantly shows that they only appreciate me when I can do things for them and just tolerate me between useful events.

The people who decide whether I eat or starve disagree wholeheartedly with you.

A lot of sociopaths propagate the lie that everyone in the world is as selfish and corrupt as they are. These people are the ones who are controlling capital. It's their incapability to be normal like everyone else that's responsible for their sociopathy and also their projection of values.

Don't be fooled, you're sane if you reject the capitalistic ideals. It's insane to make somebody else disproportionately wealthy with your hardwork and ideas.

... it is valued by how hard it is to replace you.

What do you envision your value being derived from? Just existing doesn't make someone valuable, it make them a drain on society. You need to contribute something.

It's probably best to flip this on its head. Rather than thinking "others must value me regardless of my productivity"--something you have no control over--instead think "I must show others that I value them not based on any benefit to me". I.e. be the change you seek.

Everyone, including yourself, has their own perspective on the value of your actions. You may value your actions to be of greater value than someone else does, but ignoring others’ opinion of that value entirely is perilous.

Agreed. Id take a step further even though. What one does for WORK to provide for themselves doesn't give them value either. For example, a doctor, paramedic or nurse can save a life in the course of their work which adds value to others and may provide purpose to the healthcare worker - but ultimately it's a dangerous trap to begin believing that this is inherently their value as humans. We all have a value by just existing, experiencing and interacting together. Our society has made it so that one of the questions we ask first is "what do you do for work?" Because we so often wrap up our profession in our identity and value