Latest / Mechonomist Podcast / The Value of a Living Being

Transcript

The Value of a Living Being · Mechonomist Podcast

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Good evening, everybody.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a while.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: A couple of points before we start.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm no longer involved with the Automotive Free Clinic.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I tried to stay involved as much as possible, but I just cannot do it.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm no longer involved.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: For those of you that don't know,
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: My son was born five weeks ago, 12 weeks premature.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: My wife had severe preeclampsia and had to deliver the son or my kid was going to kill her.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So we had a premature baby.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: He's doing well.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's in the continuing care nursery at UAB Hospital.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And he's doing good.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: He still has some issues, but he's 34 weeks.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: As of now, we've been in the hospital about six weeks.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: We're staying at the Ronald McDonald house.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that is why I can't be involved with AFC on any level right now, because I'm just focusing on my kid and my wife.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now being a father will certainly change you.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, most of mine and Robin's marriage,
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: with my health, my mental health issues, Robin has really taken care of me.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And now I'm taking care of her and Hank.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a different type of relationship.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: But one of the things that's really struck me, economics is fucking stupid.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Economics is the stupidest shit I've ever heard of in my entire life, whether it's Marxist economics or bourgeois economics, it's all dumb because the,
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: primary assumption in economics is that people's value or living beings value is in what they can produce.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: And my son can't produce anything.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: He's totally and utterly helpless.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And he has value.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: He has intrinsic value.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been one of the struggles that I never really thought I struggled with, but
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: I've always defined myself with how I can help others and how I can produce value for others.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Some people want to produce value for themselves and that's fine.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've always defined myself based on how I produce value for others.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I sort of look at my son and I recognize that he has intrinsic value and I recognize I also have intrinsic value.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a new thing that my son has taught me
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: in the first five weeks of his life is that I am valuable even if I don't serve the community or fix cars for people or help people and maybe I can stop doing those things as a way to prove to myself that I'm worthy and I can do those things because I enjoy doing them and I think that's a big difference in my life anyway y'all pray for us
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: We still have a long way to go.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: We're probably going to be here another six weeks at least.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they said he could probably get out when his due date was, which his due date is May 9th.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we got a little ways to go still.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: So y'all continue to pray for us.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Pray for me and Robin and Hank.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, keep us in your hearts.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't pray, if you don't have a faith, keep us in your hearts.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: And always remember that you, along with every other living being on the planet, has intrinsic value, not just for what you can do, but for being a living being, period.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: And now I am off to other things.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Being a stay-at-home dad, I got this tattoo.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's a seahorse on my heart for Hank to symbolize my new role as a stay-at-home dad.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still working on my book.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm doing some other things that I enjoy doing.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: I started working with a group called The Maintainers who are all about maintenance, care, and repair, which is just my thing.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think I can even enjoy it more now because Hank has taught me that I have intrinsic value and not just value for what I can produce for others.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, we'll see y'all next time.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Peace, y'all.