Wisdom story: Worth more, less or the same?

A well-known speaker stood on a brightly lit stage before an eager crowd of 200 people. The room was buzzing with excitement as attendees waited to hear his words of wisdom. With a warm smile, the speaker reached into his pocket and pulled out a crisp $100 bill. He held it up for everyone to see, letting it glisten under the stage lights. Then, in a steady voice, he asked, “Who would like this $100 bill? How much is it worth to you?” Immediately, 200 hands shot up, reaching toward the money. Murmurs of excitement rippled through the room. After all, who wouldn’t want a free $100? The speaker nodded and then, without hesitation, he crumpled the bill tightly in his hands. He crushed it into a small, wrinkled ball, pressing hard as though he wanted to squeeze the value out of it. Then, he held it up again. “Who still wants this?” he asked. The hands remained raised. Not a single person hesitated. The speaker smiled knowingly. He then dropped the bill on the ground, stepped on it with his shoe, twisting his foot as if grinding the bill into the dirt. He picked it up once more, now crumpled, smudged, and dirty. Holding it up to the crowd, he asked again, “And now? Who still wants this?” The hands stayed up. The audience knew the answer. 

The speaker took a deep breath and looked around the room. “You have all just learned an incredibly important lesson. No matter what I did to this bill, you still wanted it. Why? Because its value never changed. Despite being crumpled, stomped on, and dirtied, it was still worth $100.” He paused, allowing the message to settle in, then continued, “Now, think about your own life. How many times have you felt beaten down by mistakes, failures, or challenges? How often have you been made to feel worthless by the harsh words of others or the weight of your own regrets?” The room grew silent as his words sank in. “Life,” he said gently, “will crumple you. It will stomp on you. People might judge you, criticize you, or try to make you feel like you are not enough. But remember this,  just like the $100 bill, your value does not decrease because of what you go through. You are still worthy. You are still important. And no matter what has happened in your past, you will always be valuable.” A quiet murmur of understanding spread through the audience. Some nodded. Others wiped away a tear. The lesson was clear. The speaker continued, “Many of us go through life believing that because we’ve made mistakes or faced hardships, we are somehow worth less. But that is not true. You are not defined by your past failures, your difficult circumstances, or the opinions of others. Your value comes from within. It is something no one can take away from you.” He paused once more, then concluded with one final thought: “So the next time you feel broken, rejected, or unworthy, remember this $100 bill. No matter what happens, you are still you. And you are priceless. Never forget it.”