The Value of Life
The value of human life is still a mystery and we as a society is still trying to figure it out. During early times, life was not valued at all. People were being turned into slaves and treated like nothing. In today’s world though, we base the value of life by our achievements, one’s past, or the salary one receives. This shouldn’t be the way we value one’s life. We as a society cannot assign a value on one’s life. Money cannot buy happiness.
In the article “What Is a Life Worth” by Amanda Ripley, she argues that nowadays we base life on money. “The courts started to put a dollar value on a life-after death” (“What Life is Worth”, stanza 1). I do not agree with this because people expect money after a death occurs to a loved one. No amount of money can fill in the void of a loss someone is enduring. William Shakespeare, one of the most famous and influential writer, argues his point of view of human life in “Hamlet’s Soliloquy. Shakespeare uses a suicidal character, Hamlet, to show that the only time we value life is when something bad is happening. Also to show that life is full of misfortunes. Both Shakespeare and Ripley seem to be suggesting that life is only valued by death. Death opens our eyes and makes us cherish what we have. This sounds very sad, but it’s very true. The government doesn’t seem to care about human life. Cheri Sparacio, the widow of Thomas Sparacio, exclaims, “The government is not taking any responsibility for what it’s done.
This was just one screw up after another. ” The government tries to replace loss with money. How can one’s life value be bought? Nowadays, one way life is valued is by money. 6 On the other hand, Lance Armstrong believes that death is not an option. That the value of life should be cherished and taken for granted because your life can end any second.
