Preview

The Value of Life

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1220 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Value of Life
The Value of Life
Human life is one of the few natural rights in life that cannot be valued by wealth, or taken in for exchange by any tangible object. Human life is precious and fragile and should be treated as such. Each person 's individuality and capability is a prime factor that exemplifies the need humans have to be valued, all life is equivalent, but should be equal in the highest plausible factors. Human life cannot simply be put with a price, for each life is valued at a price that is not external to another, therefore; the value I place on a loved one would vary astronomically to the price value one would insinuate on that very person. Human life can not be placed at any monetary value, it can be inferred that the greed for money has played a large role in the events that have taken place, leading one to suspect that it is not the loved one people are concerned about, but rather the money they can receive for their loved one. People are now being brainwashed into believing that they should receive financial compensation for their losses. In a recent novel, Lance Armstrong delves into his painful past and the challenges he was forced to overcome and how these obstacles and overcoming them shaped him into the person he is today and gave him a new, optimistic view on life and the value it has. Armstrong now claims that life is a precious gift and should be treated as such; in a excerpt from the novel Armstrong shares a painful memory, “When I was twenty-five, I got testicular cancer and nearly dies. I was given less then a forty percent chance of surving, and frankly, some of my doctors were just being kind when they gave me those odds” (Armstrong1). Prior to this life changing experience Armstrong thrived on living life to the ‘fullest’ and not quite taking the time to appreciate the blessing that were in his life every single day. After Armstrong 's life changing battle, and overcoming what was once said to be unbeatable, a new view on life was



Cited: Armstrong, Lance, and Sally Jenkins. It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to life. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. Ripley, Amanda. “What is Life Worth?” Time December 2002:12-13. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992. Unknown, Human Life Value Calculator. Life and Insurance fondation for education. November 14,2005 http;//www.life-line.org/life_human.html

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The 2002 Ride for the Roses raised $2.7 million and drew 20,000 people out of their homes to come and support this foundation.…

    • 1365 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    We all live in this world where standards are made and we have to meet them in order to be accepted or to fit in. Although, we all have our own different opinions and ideas of life, we all just try to find ways to be accepted. In my opinion, people should not be assigned whether they are valuable or not in this world. We all play a major role, even if we may not be famous; we still have the ability to make a difference. For instance, I always struggle trying to fit in with others. I am constantly going out my way just to be accepted by someone who means everything to me. Every human life is valuable and the value of every human life is equal.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though Lance Armstrong’s journey leads him to a medal at the tour de France, he more importantly gains a value for life itself when fighting his way back to it after being diagnosed with cancer. Even though cycling is “so hard” and “so intense,” Lance realizes that cancer is an even greater challenge, because the “biggest victory” would be winning his life back (86). Through his journey of recovery,…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A. Placing a price or level of importance on a human being’s life is heartless, greedy, and hypocritical. A person’s financial ranking should not determine their entitlement to a fine quality of life. Who are doctors and other health representatives to determine the importance of a person’s life? Doctors aren’t the birth creators of their patients, so they definitely aren’t entitled to establish their life’s value.…

    • 2280 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

    • 1746 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Lance Armstrong - Tour de France first overall finalist is know other then Lance Armstrong. Lance is a very out standing individual who has battled cancer and continually fought against it and returned to Bicycling after is recovery. Lance is a remarkable human being he is looked up to by lots of people in world for his heroic accomplishments. Lance was born in the southern sector of Dallas, Texas.…

    • 1746 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Value is based on the amount of money that people will make in their lives. In the article, “What is a Life Worth?” by Amanda Ripley, after the catastrophic accident, the government attempts to compensate by giving money to victims’ families; however, the system it distributes money is unacceptable. When Ripley reveals, “That means a broker’s family will qualify for a vastly higher award than a window washer’s family” (Ripley 8). An individual’s life worth less than others when he or she had a low paying job. The lives of all people should be valued at the same price regardless of their jobs. However, the government views profession is a critical matter when it comes to identifies how much his or her life value is not only after the death but also when he or she is still alive. Furthermore, the author of the article “What Is the Value of a Human Life?”, Kenneth Feinberg, who also agrees with Ripley’s perspective. According to Feinberg, “Mr. Feinberg, my husband was a fireman and died a hero at the World Trade Center. Why are you giving me less money than the banker who represented Enron?” (Feinberg 3). Although they are in the same accident, the amount of money that they received is totally different. People began to raise the question why some family gets more than others. As a consequence of the government response, people believe their life worth nothing when they have low- paid jobs. One might object here that compare the value of life in jobs how much they are worth is fair. If people want to get treated equally, then they should work hard to earn respect from others. People should value life, not by how much money they make, but by how much they enjoy their…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Belief in ghosts and the afterlife was common in Shakespeare 's time, the variance in views and opinions were rooted in religion.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through his continually work with his charity, LIVESTRONG, it’s brought him even more love and admiration as he’s inspired and motivated millions of cancer patients to continue and fight for their lives. But In 2013, Lance Armstrong who was once considered the greatest cyclist of all-time admitted that he had doped throughout his career in an Oprah Winfrey interview. Though it was not a surprise to many people being that he’s had several allegations of doping thrown at him since 1995, the news of the doping scandal to had become sort of a slap in the face to his millions of fans and supporters, but it was especially disappointing for the children. In response to Lance Armstrong announcement, the International Cycling Union announced that they would not appeal the United States Anti-doping Agency’s decision to ban Armstrong for life from Olympic competition. With the ICU’s decision to not appeal, it’s formally stripped Armstrong of the seven Tour titles he won from 1999 to 2005.…

    • 915 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The value of life is also another important consideration. Religious believers wouldn't like to put a price tag on a life, as it is seen overall as priceless (being a gift from God). It wouldn't be possible to attempted to save a person's life 'regardless of the cost', because a price cannot be placed on a soul. However, other people would disagree a say, for example, the life of a wealthy royal is worth much more than the life of a begger or homeless person. And taking…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout history all over the world, humans have been searching for their own “good life”. What each person’s good life is and what it takes to attain that life differs greatly across all aspects of humanity, causing it to require much time and effort for each person to discover their concept of a good life. This makes sense because of the vast differences in beliefs, experiences, and opinions that also play a part in constructing a large gap in social and financial statuses. For every human the sacrifices and benefits that come with finding one’s good life are considered the cost it took to get there, and each cost has a different amount of an impact on a person’s journey. Finding a partner and love seems to be a common theme throughout the readings in the course, and it almost always comes at a cost of missing an important opportunity.…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    David Conroy Heroism

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Heroism is often seen as something unattainable to the general population as if it’s a title saved for those who possess almost inhumane virtues and qualities. But there will always be times where everyday people are called to heroism. One example of this is David Conroy, a hero within the community who resonates vital gospel values. Like many of us, David went to Terrace, graduating in 1987. From that stage on he enjoyed a stable life with partner Shevaune. This was until crisis struck and Shevaune was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, and David was called to heroism. Despite suffering from a horrible disease, David never thought twice about getting married to the woman he loved. David cared for Shevaune in their home for 8 years…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Value of Life

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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. In the excerpt “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life” by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins, it talks about…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    " Life is a gift and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more" says Anthony Robbins. If we take the opportunity we are given and we achieve it then with responsibility we choose to have what we want for a good life. To be able to provide my family and myself with sincerity and dedication, by being ambitious, committed, focused, and whole hearted. And how I go about doing that is to be hard working and determined in everything I do. How I'm doing that is by going to school to focus on my career in Justice Administrative in digital forensics so I can also help people. I also want my family and I to move up in the world and make sure my family never goes without.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain, Louie thought, ‘Let it go,’ ” which is a defining quote of mastering endurance in Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken. The quote gives an idea about how athletes use thoughts like these to continue to go further and stronger. Athletes are able to master endurance mentally and physically by training, for training is what gives us the true path of endurance. Like many athletes, Louie spent years training his body both mentally and physically, with his brother coaching, even going past what was thought possible. Mastering endurance gives one great features, but can be hard to achieve, even for Louie…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What does an American civilian think is more important; being their own person or fitting in with everyone else? It seems as if the modern day American residents want to fit into a criteria that “everybody else is doing it” you can tell based on the products they purchase, or the actions they take.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays