I do believe that self-esteem is more important that validation. I guess that makes me a liberal.

I agree. The cult of "self-esteem training" has a corrosive effect on our society. There's value to a merit based society; indeed, qualities like responsibility are what hold society together. What does merit involve? It means that we should be hard-working in the respect that we should take advantage of our talents for our own benefit. Many schools are now teaching students that if they put their minds to something, they can do anything. But that's not necessarily the case. For example, by nature, I'm not that good in math, so that means that the chances of me going on to have a stellar career as a mathematician are very low. Others have an incredible ability to conceptualize numbers into different logical patterns. People like that can go on to have solid careers in those types of fields. In short, we should apply our talents towards things that we are good at.

But just because you work really hard to provide a certain service doesnt mean that you deserve to earn something simply because of that fact. Value is something which is socially determined; how hard you work at providing a certain service never enters into this equation. Many times the person who least deserves success may get it by providing a service that people give a value to. Look at Terrell Owens. Yes, he may be a jerk, but people are willing to pay for his talents. Some people might work really hard, and by monetary measurements, they might not be considered successful like Terrell Owens.

In short, there is a distinction between merit and value. True, one of the selfless professions like teaching or nursing may be more "deserving" of higher salaries, but using such criteria to determine value simply can't be used, for such determinations of value can't be socially known. Value in the final analysis is measured based on what people are willing to pay for your services in the free market. Sometimes, luck also plays a role in determining value. How much you struggle in order to produce the products of your labor have nothing to do with value, although of course hard work can help. This was one of the fundamental errors which some socialists and Marxists make, and this is why societies established on those precepts have failed.

(numbah chuckles quitely so the liberals won't notice and call for his head... again)

i agree that one should work for something to deserve it. and not have it handed to them. it seems having a better self esteem may help to achieve your goals in working for what you want. i agree that pushing the help little "johnny or suzie" to have good self esteem has been way overdone in school.hate to break it to them but no one is going to give a rip about their self esteem when they leave school.

This is worthy of merit and consideration- death to the ridiculous entitlement of 'self-esteem'. . .work for it or shut up. . .