The concept that concerns us in this review is undoubtedly one of the ones we use the most in our language when we want to indicate that something or someone is important, that is, that they have significance, value, category, prestige in something.
That or that which is important because of the place it occupies, what it does, where it comes from ...
The important word is an adjective of a qualifying type that is used to give the characteristics of transcendent or relevant that someone, something, or some phenomenon may have.
When we talk about something or someone important we are referring to what is superior to other similar elements, for example, when a law is important, it means that it is a little more striking or central than others. The notion of importance can be applied in various areas and aspects of life and always implies a scale of values that go from the most central, or most important, to the least relevant or least important.
Generally, something will be determined as important when it is compared with other similar questions and from that analysis it turns out that it exceeds them.
A person is invited to two social events on the same day: his cousin's birthday and a business dinner with an investor, while, surely, he will decide to go to the one who in his opinion is the most important or the one that benefits him the most. He will report to his professional career, that is, he will go to the work dinner.
Now, we must also say, regarding this, that what is important will be dominated by the subjectivity of the person, because for one person something may be and for another not. Returning to the example we just mentioned, for someone it will be more important to privilege work and that is why they will choose to attend the work dinner, while for the one who is more important to the family, they will choose to go to the celebration of their cousin.
On the other hand, the passage of time is also a factor that usually affects the loss of importance of things or people, especially if the latter do not know how to maintain the validity of their relevance in whatever task or activity it is.
The particular signs of things or people attribute the importance
As said, the word important comes from the notion of importance. This notion supposes the transcendence, relevance and value that something or someone can have. This value of importance or prestige that is given to a thing has to do with its particular characteristics, those that differentiate it from the rest and place it at a higher level. The importance, or the quality of importance that something or someone develops may not always be present if it is not earned over time (that is, when a person climbs in their career and obtains more important positions) or intermittently (when news is broadcast momentarily important).
At the social level, the notion of importance can be much more complex since it speaks of a possible differentiation between people, sometimes established on the basis of arbitrary elements such as inheritance, lineage, social origin, or economic power. If we start from the idea that all human beings are equal, it is illogical to suppose that there may be more important people than others, that they receive better treatment or that they have more privileges because they have a certain surname, inheritance or trajectory. This social differentiation has been varying with the times and in each one of them it has been established based on different elements.
Now, beyond the utopia that we would all want to be fulfilled, that all people were equal and important before the law or any other context, we know that many times this situation is not fulfilled and who are considered important, for some reason They tend to have more advantages and benefits than those that are not, that do not have that important nickname.
What matters to us
On the other hand, we must say that the term is widely used to indicate what matters a lot to us in life, a person, an activity, a material object, among others. And by case is that we will do anything to take care of and defend them.