value of life

People often question how we should measure the value of life. Should life be calculated money value, determined by their life’s accomplishments or does it depend upon how much the individual embraces and loves their existence? In my personal experience I believe life is given value through one enjoying and accepting what they have accomplished.
Lance Armstrong survived a long battle with cancer, and after his treatments he had a new outlook on life. When Armstrong “was 25, I got testicular cancer and nearly died. I was given less than a 40 percent chance of surviving, and frankly, some of my doctors were just being kind when they gave me those odds” (Armstrong). Before having the battle with cancer he was living life with the only feeling he had, which was the rush of adrenaline he was used to when cycling. Just like cycling, going fast through life is what he did. He was so used to being the first in everything and that is how he lived his life, just letting it rush by places he went. After his battle with cancer he had a new outlook on life. Armstrong says “people live, and in the most remarkable ways” (Armstrong), these “remarkable ways” are things that people should view in life. They need to take in every aspect and second of their life through what they have accomplished and not by what every second of their life is worth.
Many arguments arise when people talk about valuing life through money. This I just find outrageous. Valuing life through dollars and cents just causes disputes. As said in Ripley’s article “the concept of assigning a price tag to a life has always made people squeamish” (Ripley’s) this because it is a concept that really has no sense. Yes it does mean that you are showing the accomplishments of the money you earned but those are just numbers when the true meaning is what you accomplished while working.
The value of life is an identity that the individual should build up themselves through their accomplishments. Life is not written on your resume it is what affects you have on other people and to yourself. In Hamlet’s soliloquy, he neglected to consider what effect his life had on his family and friends. Everyone whether they realize it or not, has some kind of effect on the people around them. Hamlet thought of his own life as worthless and thought everyone else did too.