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The Value of Life
Some may wonder, “what is life?” This basic knowledge on the definition of life is needed to set a price on it. Life is defined as the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Does money, a physical object, really put an accurate value on a conceptual idea? To others life is more than a concept. To me, life contains all my personal senses, experiences, and emotions - things money cannot buy.
You can lose money and earn it back again, but when you lose a life, that cannot be earned back. Based on the information in What Is a Life Worth?, the families that had a member die in an unfortunate event is payed by how much money that family member could have made if he or she was still alive plus $250,000 for the “pain and suffering.” Personally, I do not think a quarter of a million dollars or any amount will make up for the “pain and suffering” caused by a lost loved one. For example, if the lost loved one is a boy’s father, $250,000 will not buy a new father, and it will not make up for the father teaching him football, going fishing, or spending any type of quality time together. Yes, that money could buy some expensive items, but is not the same as the moments that
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Chris McCandless explains, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (Krakauer). In Chris’s experience, he wanted to define his own life. He believed that one’s own life is what that individual sets for himself. When people define their own life, they also place a value on it. Even if Chris had died young, he was able to complete his life goals, meaning that Chris did not die for no reason. The individual goals we have completed in our lifetime is a way to measure the value of our
Because he is a true believer, Chris McCandless is a very spiritual person. Although he never states he is part of a specific religion, he believes in a some godly presence; an important part of being a Transcendentalist. In the end of the book, when Chris is near his inevitable passing, he writes a farewell note to anyone who finds his body. In his final note, he is very euphoric, and not at all regretful of his decision to venture into the Alaskan bush, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!” (199). Because he said he had a happy life, and that he thanks the lord, it is clear that Chris appreciates the spirituality within Transcendentalism. It takes true dedication and appreciation in Chris’s final moment to write about spirituality, which is why he includ...
... every aspect of his life whether it be his education, physical endurance, or making it through the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than a rifle, a backpack, and a road map. Chris was aware of his differences and that he did not fit into society. He fully embraced that and and chose to lead his own path. Chris led a happy life according to one of his last journal entries he wrote, “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” (Krakauer 199). Chris was willing to risk everything to gain that happiness. His ambition to enter the wilderness, in the end, took his life but that did not stop him. He would have rather died a happy man than lived a miserable one. Chris ventured out into the wilderness and found himself; a tragic story for a tragic hero.
In the article, What Is a Life Worth? by Amanda Ripley, she explains that compensation was given to families of the 911 tragedy to reimburse them of their loss, so that they can maintain their lifestyle. For instance, “Congress created the fund as a safety net for the victims’ families to ensure that they maintain something resembling their current standard of living” (Ripley 76). Economically speaking, all lives are not equal because of where a person stands financially. People who are more successful and have a higher income, should receive a higher amount when being compensated. For example, a stockbrokers family should receive more than the amount of a dishwashers family because of the difference in their incomes. Amanda Ripley describes the system and how the compensation calculus works when she says, “First, the government will estimate how much a victim would have earned over his or her lifetime had the planes never crashed... To estimate this amount, each family was handed an easy-to-read chart on the way into the meeting: Find your loved one’s age and income and follow your finger to the lucky number. Note that the lifetime earnings have been boosted by a flat $250,000 for “pain and suffering”―noneconomic losses, they are called. Tack on an extra $50,000 in pain and suffering for a spouse and for each child.” (Ripley 75). Compensation is cruel but it is not trying to put a value on someone’s life, it’s simply
I think Ray Bradbury sums all this up in a quote from the book: "Life
... existence” (Krakauer22). This new life Chris was living meant more than anything in the world and his happiness was all that matters for him.
The meaning of life is to find the meaning of life. Is it not? We all go through each day trying to figure out which road out the infinite amount of paths will lead us in a better direction where happiness is prominent and society is flawless. However, not every single human being is going to fit on that narrow, one-lane highway to success. Bad choices, accidents, fate, family matters, society, temptation, anger, rage, addiction, and loss of hope can all be deciding factors in opting to choose that wrong path to self-destruction. The adverse thing is, once you've traveled so far down the road, you get so discouraged that you feel like you can never turn back or make up for the "lost time."
Life is very valuable, but is also extremely limited. Just think about it, we are only around for such a microscopic portion of the world’s existence. Therefore, one must live every day as if it was our last since our life has tremendous value. Steve Jobs discusses the idea of life and death in his brilliant 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University, in which he presents these ideas in a clear, organized way by sharing three personal stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. The dots story concludes by saying that the dots in life will connect looking backwards, or in other words, everything happens for a reason, therefore trust in “your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” Steve Jobs then tells us that we must find
The value of life is a very controversial topic. It has been brought up many times throughout history in interviews, poem, stories, and even class. Many people have different opinions on what the value of life is and what it is worth. Unfortunately there is no denotative definition. It is connotative, which can only be defined through personal experiences and beliefs. Many highly intelligent people have different views on the value of life and express it in whatever way they can.
As a young girl at 14, I used to reminisce about the future, how badly I wanted to grow up, to drive, to be popular in high school, go to college and land an amazing job, have a huge home, nice cars, and an extremely handsome husband. The older I got, the more I began to realize all of the things I once desired for were not what I truly wanted. I began to realize the value of happiness, adventure, and creating memories rather than the value of temporary popularity, material items, and physical appearances. What I realized was that when one is lying on their deathbed, because the only thing guaranteed in life is death, they will not think, “oh what a lovely car I drove” but rather, “I remember when I went on my first road trip with my friends.” As mentioned in “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom, Morrie emphasizes the idea, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live,” meaning, remembering that one day we will all depart from this world, one will realize what it truly means to live. Another pointer that can essentially alter one’s vision of living life: to live simply, as discussed in “Where I Lived and What I Live For” by David Henry Thoreau. Although thinking about death is a harsh reality on a young teenager, it is rather helpful to wrap our heads around it at a young age. Why? because as one grows older, they will see more death. Living a simple life may seem boring to a young teenager, but as one grows older and their schedules become bustled with work, and responsibilities, they will wish that they could step back, and choose a simple lifestyle.
middle of paper ... ... The value of a human life varies, depending on the person. Even though as humans, we assign a lot of value to many things, human life should remain the most valuable thing we have. The true value of a human life should not be combined with the monetary value that is determined by the government, or the value of life would be worth very little.
Most people feel that they have some sort of purpose in life and to be able to discover that purpose and fulfill it, gives their lives value. There are many ways that people assign value in their lives. Some do it through giving back, others serve their countries, some teach. Those were just a couple of specific examples about how people assign value to their lives. In the article “You Are Your Life, and Nothing Else” the writer says that “we have no other purpose than the one we set ourselves; no other destiny than the one we forge” (Case 2). This statement clarifies that because we humans do not really have a specific purpose such as a chair or a fork that we have to figure out our purpose. The writer also explains further and again says
Author Ralph Waldo Emerson said “the purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I have always recognized that I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. It wasn’t until a close family friend became ill that I finally figured out what that was going to be. That day is one that I will never forget. My father and I went down to visit our friend, Clarence, who was in Hospice after a long illness. My father, who considered Clarence a father, sat next to his bed, Clarence’s wife sat on the other side. I watched both of them intently waiting for him to ask for some water or some food, it was evident that he was growing weaker.
When Christians first encounter the idea of creating a spiritual discipline, some almost instantly become overwhelmed with anxiety because they must perform well for God to please Him and get to heaven. I was once one of them and to a point, I still think that way. However, the more focus on the relationship with Jesus and nothing else brings about the desires to want more in terms of spiritual growth. Desires however, do not last if disciplines are not met with a genuine commitment to maintain a fervent relationship with Jesus. For my rule of life, I will pencil in daily life disciplines that fit in the season of life that I am in currently so that God can work in me and I can become Christ like. First, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily prayer with God. Second, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily scripture reading. Third, I will commit to lead, encourage and support my wife by living out the vows that we both agreed to with God. Fourth, I will commit myself to my family in raising my two
Each of us begins to face our daily life from the beginning of our birth.Most people seldom think about what life means for themselves, including myself. Until I became an adult, I began to think about such a problem.
What makes a meaningful life? It varies for each person as we are all very unique and different from one another. Even the definition of what is meaningful will vary as it may be making an imprint/significance in their lifetime or a happy life is enough to be meaningful. Though there is so much variation among the definition, there are some essentials that could relate across the board. The recipe to having a meaningful life may contain the ingredients of: happiness, fulfillment, authenticity, living more fully in the present and having a sense of purpose.