Their value is related to gold, to national productivity or to some other thing. Let us take the case of a child who is handicapped and severely retarded. He is no less precious in the eyes of his loving parents. They value him, not because of what he is, but regardless of what he is. His preciousness is in the hearts of his parents.
Value is relational.
This is the most important question. Everywhere people are searching for meaning. Although life is cast in a variety of relationships, some ultimate relationship, some ultimate reference point, is fundamental to human existence. Life without a supreme relationship, a commitment to a supreme good, an ultimate reference point, is going nowhere and has no real meaning or significance. A sailor in the middle of the Pacific on a dark night cannot get a compass reading off his own navel.