Life!

The Value of Life

The way that people have valued life has drastically changed over the past couple of centuries. It has gone from valuing life on how much monetary items one has accumulated over their life, to the more humble side of life on one’s sentimental values. These are small types of  aspects inlife that people some jobs value one’s life by their income rather than seeing all the painstaking
Society as a whole has shaped us throughout our lives, making us think that impressing someone is the way to go, but in reality no one should go out of their way to make someone think they’re worth money; rather, we should accept who we are and be happy that we are alive on this present day. Many struggle to find their place in life, much like Hamlet in his soliloquy, he points out life's many tragic flaws and misfortune that happens to him. Hamlet even goes to say in his soliloquy that life doesn't have any meaning to it whatsoever and he would rather just let all the pain go and become one with the past. He uses the phrase “The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – or to take arms against a sea of troubles,” meaning that he wants to let everything go and be free from society's imprisonment; or to hold your ground and face the obstacles that life has.

Even though society has evolved and adapted over time, inequalities still exist in our time. Should society value someone's life the same way we value money? The quick answer is no. I don't believe that anyone has the authority to value your life over someone's else's; this is morally incorrect and should not be done in a situation of life and death. Everyone lives a different life from one another, from our differences in pains that we endure to the happiness that life sheds on you when most needed-- these events are what makes us different, what gives life meaning, not value. Society should view meaning over value when pondering the lives of others.

When evaluating a person's value, we think of various factors, such as how healthy they are, their productivity, and most notably whether the person is “normal”. In the article “The Essential Man” Robert had been diagnosed with cancer in his jaw, after they operated to remove him from his cancerous state he lost the ability to speak. This didn't affect his career as he still reviewed movies when without the ability to communicate verbally, he had found his soul purpose in life which for him must have given a sense of value to his life. Although robert was only a movie critic, he was given his own golden start at hollywood for his great reviews! He was in fact the first non-actor to receive such reward; these type of events are what seemingly give our lives meaning and a sense of value to them.

In the same way that life hasn't always been about money; you'll hear about these billionaires that have everything but simply can't find happiness, the one true thing that life has to offer us all. Life is about creating memories with the ones we truly love even if it means having to endure the struggles that are thrown our way.