The Value of Life - Essay Sample

Introduction

Is the value of money an emotional or monetary quantity? In many centuries, people have been trying to answer the question of whether the value of life should be quantified into monetary terms such as dollars and cents. In ancient time, the Egyptians buried the dead with their material possessions. They assumed that an individual's monetary value ceased at death and therefore one should take their wealth to the afterlife. However, this is different from the current society because they believe that a family that loses a loved one should be compensated for their loss.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

In Hamlet, Shakespeare asks "What a piece of work is a man!" (Shakespeare 6). He does not know the value of a man who loses everything he valued. Nothing can be compared with life despite how precious and expensive it is. Although life is as precious as a diamond, it lacks set monetary value. However, the government has altered this by putting the value of the lives of people. For instance, after the 9/11 attack, the government helped the families of the victims by paying the income they were earning to them. The amount compensated was according to the money the individual was making before the attack. For instance, the government assumed that the victims were worth what they were earning and this means that a janitor is worth less than a banker. In the article "What is Life Worth?" Amanda criticizes the idea and state "Two men in the same accident, why should another family get more than the other?" (Ripley 5). It is wrong to put a price tag of individual values because people have a different way of grieving for their loved ones. Money cannot replace a life.

After going through life and death experiences people learn how to value their life. People who experience critical situations learn that life cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Lance Armstrong and Mr. Deng are two individuals who after difficult situations where they thought they would lose their lives learned its value. Armstrong endured a long battle with cancer, and after this battle came out with a new value of money that cannot be expressed in monetary terms. "When I was 25, I got testicular cancer and nearly died. I was given less than a 40 percent chance of surviving, and frankly, some of my doctors were just being kind when they gave me those odds" (Armstrong 1). He realized that life ends within a short time and hence people should live them to the fullest. If Armstrong was told that his family would be compensated for his death, he would have rejected the offer without even thinking about it. Likewise, Mr. Deng cannot equate his life in the monetary term after he survived death as a refugee. As one of the Sudanese lost children, he explained that "We crossed a thousand miles of the war-ravaged country without the hope of sanctuary. Bullets replaced food, medicine, shelter, and loving parents. I lived on wild vegetable, ate mud from Mother Earth, and drank urine from my own body" (Deng 16). He cannot agree with the government offer to compensate the 9/11 victims.

Life is not a personal element but it is meant to be shared with others. Individuals put a value to their lives according to how meaningful it is to them and also others. If one dies, his or her entire network of family and friends morn for the loss. Moreover, the people whom he related with or touched their lives also morn for him. This is demonstrated in Hamlet, where he failed to consider the importance of his life to his friends and family. He does not know whether he has "to sleep or to die" (Hamlet, 10). He feels that his life is worthless and felt that no one valued him in the community. Hamlet wonders whether his life has value and throughout the play, he does not know whether he needs "To be, or not to be-that is the question:" (Shakespeare 16). Hamlet lost all he valued (Ophelia and his father) in life and now feels that his life is not worth anything.

The value of life depends on the individual. Steve Jobs advised people that they should shape their life without caring about others opinion. In his speech, he states "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice" (Jobs, 89). The quote is helpful when defining the value of life to individuals. To make life meaningful, Jobs suggests that people should do what they love their considering others opinion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the value of life cannot be determined by popularity, dollar value or individual accomplishments. Life's value cannot be determined by dollar value, popularity or even by one's accomplishments. People must depend on themselves to make their lives valuable and meaningful. In life, people have to be positive and believe that their goals. Individuals feel that their lives are worthy when they achieve their objectives. For instance, college and high school students achieve their value in life when they choose a career that suits their interests. Ultimately, individual value of life depends on their willingness and ability to make it worthy.

Works Cited

Jobs, Steve. Commencement Address. Stanford University Commencement Weekend. Stanford, CA. 12 June 2005. Print.

Ripley, Amanda. "What Is a Life Worth?" Time. 13 December 2002. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Simon and Schuster.1992. Print

Armstrong, Lance, and Sally Jenkins. It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to life. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.

Deng, Alephonsion. "I have Had to Learn to Live With Peace." Newsweek 31 October 2005: 16.