Question

Is how much you earn a good measure of your importance to society?

Answer 1

Certainly not. Your earning cannot be a good measure of your importance to society. Importance here refers to the contribution you make towards the betterment and development of society. So, it is very well possible that a person earns huge amount of money by indulging in illegal activities which cause harm to society. That cannot be considered important for society. Unfortunately, our views of importance in society are skewed. Living in a materialistic society people give much emphasis on the wealth. Teachers for example shape young minds which makes a well educated society. Similarly there are other measures which must be kept in mind when deciding importance to society.