I believe you're suggesting a contradiction here, but I think the juxtaposition is actually quite insightful if we consider the differences between these two things!
What the world values ought to be a mostly objective question, though one that isn't easy to answer. An accurate measure of what the world values probably implies success, even. Our values are expressed by the totality of our collective actions, and are certainly not guaranteed to be consistent with what we say. The obvious (but certainly not perfect) proxy for what we value is what we choose when there are costs involved.
But other people's ideas of what matters strikes me as a completely different thing. These are constructs and abstractions that we use to help model our own individual decision making, and unfortunately we're often all-too-eager to share these with others even when they're by no means universal. If I tell you that "what matters is security and predictability" or "what matters is family" or "what matters is the pursuit of creativity and novelty", all I'm really saying is that I have this axiom that floats around in my head with a tenuous connection to reality even in the context of my own life but is clearly meaningless relative to yours! These things are not to be chased, because they’re not real.
What the world values ought to be a mostly objective question, though one that isn't easy to answer. An accurate measure of what the world values probably implies success, even. Our values are expressed by the totality of our collective actions, and are certainly not guaranteed to be consistent with what we say. The obvious (but certainly not perfect) proxy for what we value is what we choose when there are costs involved.
But other people's ideas of what matters strikes me as a completely different thing. These are constructs and abstractions that we use to help model our own individual decision making, and unfortunately we're often all-too-eager to share these with others even when they're by no means universal. If I tell you that "what matters is security and predictability" or "what matters is family" or "what matters is the pursuit of creativity and novelty", all I'm really saying is that I have this axiom that floats around in my head with a tenuous connection to reality even in the context of my own life but is clearly meaningless relative to yours! These things are not to be chased, because they’re not real.