Geez, this started one great big argument... looks like it's kinda over...
But here's what I think, anyway:
If the only people in the world who are truly valuable are people who contribute to society, and people who contribute a lot to society are more valuable (as people) than people who barely manage to hold their own, and the "more valuable" people have less respect for "less valuable" people... they don't even turn out as "valuable" (by Louise18's standards) as they would be in the first place.
I mean, if smarter people think themselves superior, and only "tolerate" the (for lack of a more sophisticated word) dumber people, then they shouldn't be obligated to help them, right?
In that case, they're NOT contributing to society.
And you say if the value of one's life depends solely on his/her achievements, you might as well say the sole purpose of life is to build a better world. If you say the sole purpose of life is to build a better world, you might as well say that doing anything other than working is a waste of time, which means the things that make us happy are a waste of time, love is a waste of time, and life in general is a waste of time. If life is a waste of time, why should we keep bother to improve the quality of it? The entire idea just contradicts itself.
I try to respect all people equally. I say "try" because I'm not perfect and can be judgmental just as anyone else, and because some people make it very hard. And do you know what trait I find the absolute hardest to overlook? Lack of respect for other people.I have a tutor, too, and though she is better at math than me and knows it, she has never made me feel like an inferior person. In return, I am more motivated to live up to the respect she has for me and do well. Respect is a two-way thing. Deal with it.
SheWhoCan'tThinkofaUserName,
Well said.
But... what would you say if someone claims the only "valuable" people are those who are intellectually gifted; those who have this logical "quick-learning" ability? I've not done much research on these topics, but what I have observed among many gifted folks, is this "quick-learning" ability, which goes a long way toward great academic success (in some cases, swift and relatively easy success.) And I have seen that many folks who are not intellectually gifted, seem to lack this "quick-learning" ability that is ever so useful for getting a high score on an IQ test, or getting through school without studying.
How would you respond to that?