The Value of Life

288 Words2 Pages
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.” This famous line shows that the value of life is in how you live it, and in how you impact those around you. It is never something that can be based monetarily. Instead, if someone is constantly living life to its fullest, never dwelling on the minute details as opposed to the grand tapestry of life, then they have truly led a meaningful and rewarding life. Firstly, the most important thing to remember is that life cannot be measured in linear terms. All too often in our society, we are bent on numbers and raw data to examine situations, and we have a tendency to apply that to the value of a person. In “The Dash,” by Linda Ellis, she writes of a man who spoke at a friend’s funeral and who referred to the dates on the tombstone, “He noted first her date of birth, her date of death through tears, but then he said what mattered most was the dash between the years… For it matters not how much we own; the cars, the house, the cash. What matters most is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.” In This excerpt Ellis is explaining that we should focus on the persons emotional ties to the world. Instead of looking at how much was in one’s bank accounts, we should see if, how, and why someone gave of themselves. Instead of looking at how many people someone impacted, we should focus on how they impacted them. Finally, instead of looking at how long someone lived, we should focus on how they lived their lives.
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