The Value of Life

In my life, I have often been told that life is a gift.  It is something you shouldn't waste, but a thing to make the best of.  I have been told that all life has value, from the smallest to the largest of animals.  However, something I always wondered was how we determined the value of life.  Often, humans think that our lives are more important or more worth saving than those of other animals.  This is shown in the book, Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  This book has caused me to look deeper into the value of life and helped me understand society a little better.

In the book, Pi's father takes Pi and his brother to the tiger's cage to teach them a lesson.  He makes them watch Mahisha the tiger tear apart a defenseless goat in order to show a his sons how dangerous tigers and other animals can be and teach them not to try and go near dangerous animals.  Later, Pi's father tells his wife, "Gita, my bird, it's for their own sake.  What if Piscine had stuck his hand through the bars of the cage one day to touch the pretty orange fur?  Better a goat than him, no?"  This line stood prominent to me because he is implying that his son's life is more valuable than a goat.  And for this, I agree and disagree.  I agree that it would be more heart-wrenching for Pi to die than for a goat. So many care about him and he affects so many lives, while the goat may not.  However, who are we to say that the goat's life is inferior?  If life is a gift to all, then shouldn't we treat it equally for all?

Overall, this makes me think that we judge the value of an organism's life not by cherishing the gift, but by determining the impact the plant or animals has on our own lives.  The connection or love for something may be the difference between saving or diminishing it.  For example, would you choose to save the pretty purple flower or the ugly thorny one?  And for humans, would you choose the hated murderer or the kind earth-loving child?  In conclusion, I think that many weigh the lives of creatures based on our personal connection or feeling towards them.  This is why Pi's father would obviously choose him over a goat.

Jealousy

In the book, Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan twins Laurie and Lia were separated when Laurie was adopted.  While Laurie ended up with a loving family in a big house, Lia's childhood was tough and she ended up in a mental institution.  When Lia visits Laurie through astral projection, she tries to take over Laurie's body and life, harming many in the process.  This makes me think that that the author is really trying to portray the dangers of jealousy.

I think this because of what Lia did to try and lead Laurie's life.  For example, she was willing to let Laurie die off in order to have her life.  When Laurie's boyfriend started to notice that she was acting differently, Lia tried to use Laurie's body to lure him to a dock so she could drown him.  Overall, Lia was so jealous of Laurie's easy life that she was going to hurt others deeply to get that life instead of changing herself to be a better person and making her own life better.  This also makes me wonder about why some people are blessed with an easier life than others.  Why are some born rich and others born into starvation for example?  Is it fate?  Or can our actions really change our entire lives?  Maybe if Lia had chosen a less cruel path, she wouldn't end up as she does in the end. (I don't want to give away spoilers.)   Or maybe, she was destined to that end.

Disease

As I continue to read, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I have realized that having a disease does not only physically affect the actions you take, but can mentally guide you to how you act towards others.  Now I'm not talking about how some diseases can turn you crazy, but more in how it can cause the victim to take into consideration the lives of those affected by their disease.  I have noticed this, because the main character Hazel has followed many routes she might not have wanted to do, to help others feel more comfortable with her cancer.

For example, she agreed to go to meetings with our cancer victims so that her mother wouldn't worry that she was depressed even though she would have rather read.  Another example is that Hazel refused to date Augustus Waters because she didn't want to let him down.  This is because his previous girlfriend looked very similar to Hazel herself, and had sadly passed away.  Because Hazel knows her disease will eventually cause a premature death sooner or later, she didn't want to put Gus through another dead girlfriend.  This personally made me sad because I think Hazel really likes Gus.  Overall, this book has given me new insight on how a disease such as cancer can not only affect them physically, but also affect life choices they make.

Controlling

In the book, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, the main character Hazel is a victim of lung cancer.    It's almost certain that she won't live a long life, and she generally prefers to sleep, read and be by herself.  She says that it's a "side effect" of cancer.  When her friend Gus asked her what her hobbies were, she couldn't think of anything.  He then went on saying how he dislikes those who become their disease and let it stop them.  Overall, this makes me think about the unwillingness for some people to push past things that stand in their way.

For Hazel, her cancer has made her resort to just wanting to be alone in her room.  And even when she hung out with her friend, she told her she had to go home early when in reality, she just wanted to be alone.  She feels it awkward to try to make other people understand what it's like for her to have this disease, and has seemed to just shrug her shoulders instead of making the best of it.  This is one way she has "become her disease."  Another example I can think of in real life is when it seems that there is no hope, so people just give up instead of trying to fight.  For example, when others tell people that they can't do something, many agree and just give up.  However, I think that you shouldn't listen to others and always follow your dreams if you work hard.  In conclusion, I think that one thing shouldn't end up controlling how you live your life.