Jacob Athons
Mr.Cagley
ERWC
10 November 2014
The Value of Life
The debate over the value of life seems to be a hazy one, because with the array of individuals across our planet it seems impossible to pinpoint an aspect of life that every person values. For most people the value of their life is constantly changing due to their current situation. I believe human life can not be put into a monetary value, because value comes from within a person and their experiences, and the human experience is too complex to turn into a numerical statistic.
Life is all about perspective, and what people say they value often comes from their enviroment. For example growing up in Capitalism, to say I value money would be a huge understatement, and when situations where large sums of money are involved I can be greedy or manipulative. But in situations where I see poverty stricken people, such as a recent mission trip to Mexico, I tend to see value in simpler things such as friendship, community, and modesty.
Steve Jobs provides a intriguing perspective about the value of life in his 2005 Harvard commencement address. "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure ­ these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the

best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.
There is no reason not to follow your heart."
I believe this to be true; when death stares one in the face all "isms" are left in the dust and people begin to question what really matters. In the same way that my incessant chase for money became meaningless when seeing people who from my perspective were closer to death than I was.
But even though these people seemed less privileged they had some of the most genuine smiles I have ever seen. I recall the sense of joy coming from a group of young children playing a game of soccer. They were happy; and not the fake smile because I'm around other people type of happy. It was a warm, embracing sense of happiness.
In life, people connect like puzzle pieces, and once one finds where