The Value Of A Life

A valuable life is usually measured by successes in one's life. In our everyday society, our general culture views success as being a financial state. To us, especially as Americans, we would define someone with a lot of money as being successful or happy. However, this is obviously not the case. When people view a life and try to measure the success in it, the successes and achievements have to go deeper than the job a person had, the amount of friends they had, or the money they made.

Upon deciding how valuable a person's life is, we take into account their age and how much they have accomplished. Usually those seen as valuable (or really seen as successful) are older, well-accomplished people. They have been to many places, and seen many things. They have accomplished many tasks, and have over all found themselves in victory through most stages of their life. However, not only the aged are seen as "valuable". If someone is young but yet has been wealthy or popular throughout their life, they are seen as very valuable, perhaps more so than an elder would with the same experiences. To be young and with money and other things is somewhat unheard of. This factor of uncommonness can make the person's life more valuable.

With this aside, our society needs to look deeper than the successes in one's life. The true value in one's life is the meaning they have found in it. Someone who has captured the values and happiness in life is of greater success than those with money. Someone who learns how to love and bring happiness to themselves and those around them despite poverty has had a successful life.

I personally do not look to have any sort of materials that I obtain throughout my life. The most important things to me would be having a family, surrounding myself with loved ones, and finding happiness beyond having a large sum of money. With these circumstances, I know for sure that I will never regret anything in my life, and will not look back upon it with disappointment.

As a society, striving for such accomplishments would not be a bad idea. Currently our society finds most if not all importance in finances. People commonly look to money in search of happiness. If society as a whole were to attempt to accomplish happiness as I do, we would find ourselves a lot more comfortable in life, and our entire world would be changed. Many people argue that many of the wars our country has been because of a desire for power. This power may be in the form of land, money, etc. Had we not strived for this power, we may not have been in these wars, and many Americans would not have lost lives. This is just an example, but the effects of searching for such happiness would create a long list.

Whatever the case may be and no matter where people can find value in their lives, happiness is surely the most important acheivement. In this, I feel that people in general will find their own lives of greater value.