What Makes Life Worthwhile

Whether or not a life has value depends on who values that life. If a person values his own life, then it is valuable and if a person does not value his own life, but others around him do, then his life still has value. Something that can be lost will always have worth, even including life, considering that it is something that can be taken away and be inexistent at some point. Usually, a person recognizes the value of his or her life when his own life or the life of someone close to him is in danger of being lost. In society, people, as well as myself, take many things for granted. If we are in possession of something such as a house, food, a bed, a shower, family, and friendship and we are accustomed to it being around, we take it for granted and do not realize that these objects and ideas may not exist at some point. The same idea applies to life. We get used to living life and we take for granted the time that we have to live it. Sometimes we even complain about life and how it is hard to live. We may not realize the value of our house until it is about to be taken away from us and we may not value a friendship until it is dying or gone forever. We may not realize the value of life until it is in danger or gone.

Yesterday, my brother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Just thinking about it now, it is so hard for me to understand why his life is threatened at such a young age. It is even difficult for me to fully realize that he has cancer since I saw him a little over a week ago and he seemed so healthy and happy and loving life at college. His life definitely has value. I can tell that it does just because of the way my family and I feel knowing that his life is in danger. Luckily, thyroid cancer is the most curable cancer and I am confident that he will be fine in the end. But it is still scary knowing that life can be completely affected at any time, or at any age. 18 is too young of an age to die at. At this age, most people have not experienced life, accomplished goals they have set for themselves, or simply appreciated life as it is. Mostly, we have been in school our entire lives, and who wants to do that? School is just preparation for life after we graduate, which is when I believe we do the most worthwhile living.

There are certain things that I want to accomplish that will make my life worthwhile. Right now, I am very interested in biomolecular engineering. By the time I die, I would like to make an advance in current technologies in a way that would benefit people with medical problems. I would like to eventually cure something that is presently incurable, whether it is a type of cancer, disease, or genetic disorder. This would make my life worthwhile because I would be helping others live their lives either longer or at a better quality without physical or healthy-related problems. I think that improving the lives of others should be part of everyone’s life. Advances in medicine and technology have always been a part of humanity. Humans have always tried to prolong life and increase the physical wellbeing of other humans, whether it is because of curiosity or true belief in the value of life. Life becomes valuable and worthwhile when one has improved the quality of life of another person.

                By the time I die, I would also like to have children. I personally love taking care of children and I think I would be a great mother, so having kids would definitely make my life worthwhile. I think that giving life to someone else enriches the value of one’s own life. Generativity is very important to humanity, considering that without creating new life, humanity would cease to exist. I would also like to live in another country for at least a year. I want to fully immerse myself in another culture, not just as a tourist on a vacation, but as an actually member of that society and culture. By experiencing more than one culture and way of life, we can gain perspective and knowledge and enrich the value of life. Such multiculturalism would benefit humanity because being cultured and understanding more than one perspective of life is important for acceptance, awareness, and open-mindedness towards other people and parts of the world.

                Another goal I want to achieve before I die it to be genuinely happy—simply happy and satisfied with my life. I would like to be happy with my job, friends, family, and general situation in life. But to do so, I have to stop worrying about the negative aspects of life, which are usually not as significant compared to the good things in life. In contrast, I should become more aware of things that are important in life. I think that the purpose of life should be to recognize the value of life and all positive aspects within it. It would be valuable for humanity to reach this mindset because more people would appreciate and be content with their lives as a result. Too many people are unsatisfied with their lives, take things for granted, and never recognize their good fortune when their lives could actually improve just by changing their attitude. Over all, people would begin to better understand the value of their lives.

                The last thing I want to accomplish before I die is to make others feel happy, wanted, and loved. I do not think that it is enough to feel happy or content yourself but I think it is a part of life to make others feel cared for as well. With each new addition of a friendship or relationship the value and worth of my life increases. As I mentioned earlier, it is part of humanity for a person to try to improve the quality of life of himself and those around him. We try to make a positive impact on others so that maybe their value of life or those in the future will be even greater than our own. Without this sense of impact, there would be almost no meaning of life. Over all, the lives of most people are spent trying to improve their conditions in life or those of other people. Without this purpose, the meaning of life would be limited.

Permanence and Impermanence

One of the defining characteristics of being human is that humans are aware that they will die. Some accept their fate, some avoid thinking about it, and some deny it. But in the end, every human being experiences death. In the epic Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim explains to Gilgamesh that the immortality he is seeking is unattainable: “There is no permanence” (106). The life of a human always leads toward the final stage of death—no one lives forever and all living things grow older every second that they are alive. At first, growth is developmental but then changes into a weakening as time goes by. In the end, everyone is left in the same physical condition of lifelessness. In the poem Orpheus and Eurydice by Ovid, Orpheus speaks to Pluto and Persephone, the rulers of the Underworld, about the nature of life and death: “All things are destined to be yours, and though we delay a while, sooner or later we hasten home.” Eventually, Pluto will rule over all living things because they die and enter his realm.

Although the idea of aging, death, and impermanence is straightforward and simple, many people do not accept it because the idea of not existing is terrifying. In today’s society, people attempt to minimize the idea of impermanence and to establish a sense of permanence, however futile it may be. Plastic surgery, make-up, and facial serums epitomize the yearning for youth, especially in the media. The image of youth on an aging person is praised while early balding and wrinkles are not in favor. Simply, society is obsessed with the idea of being forever young, no matter how unrealistic this idea is.

When humans die, they are physically in a place where wealth, social status, and personal influence have no significance. Utnapishtim tries to illustrate this idea to Gilgamesh: “From the days of old there is no permanence…What is there between the master and the servant when both have fulfilled their doom?” (107). Once life leaves a person’s body, there is no difference between one man and the next. As Hamlet muses in the gravedigger scene in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, all men become dirt or dust, no matter if he is Julius Caesar or Julius Caesar’s slave. Although this is true, a person can live life after death in the extra-physical aspects of life, such as impact, memories, and relationships. The reason why people try and work hard in life is to establish their name so that they are remembered. For some, it may be enough to be loved and missed while others feel that it is their duty to create a positive impact on humanity.

Many people try hard in life because they want to improve their own living conditions or those of others before they die. Ultimately, this is what establishes the meaning of life. The knowledge that death is inevitable in turn creates the awareness of a time limit; each individual has an amount of time to live before death. According to Utnapishtim, “Life and death they allot but the day of death they do not disclose” (107). Even though this time limit is set, no one can know when his time expires. Thus, a sense of urgency to live life to its fullest is present in the mindset of humans. People want to make a difference, create memories, and live comfortably before they die and their opportunity at life is over. Others want to appreciate the pleasures in life while they can. Siduri advices Gilgamesh to focus on the good things in life rather than seeking immortality: “As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man” (102). While death constitutes mortality, so does the meaning of life and appreciation of life’s blessings. A reason why people continue to live, work, and play is simply to experience living.

As mentioned before, people can establish a sense of immortality and eternity through their impact on other individuals or on society. Although Gilgamesh does not physically achieve mortality, his name lives on in the epic that is still read today. Even after his death, we still remember Gilgamesh’s effect on the Sumerians and the tales of his heroic conquests and search for immortality. The sense of eternal life is appealing to people who may have nothing else to live for. In certain religions, eternal life after death is a major part of its belief. Such an idea helps people be more optimistic about death and also influences them in their daily life—if an individual lives a good, moral life and benefits the community, he will be rewarded in the afterlife.

The idea or promise of an afterlife makes the eminent end of death less daunting. As well, those who feel that their lives are satisfactory and have meaning may be more comfortable with their mortality.