Hargon 1

Molly Hargon

Bowyer

Expos

14 Dec. 2016

The Value of Life Revision

Life has great value, but in some circumstances does death outweigh life? Does deaths

advantages exceed the ones of life? I accept that some individuals believe that life can be too

challenging and death should outweigh life, but I have no doubt that God will not hand us

something we can not handle. Therefore, with no circumstance should a person ever choose to

end their life over living it to the fullest. . The value of life is living it to the fullest degree, no

matter what misfortune knocks on your door.

To be, or not to be. that's the question (Shakespeare). Is death that great of an option to

choose over life? In a soliloquy about Hamlets struggles, a character in one of Shakespeare's

tragedies, Hamlet does not place a value on life, he simply believes that once he starts his

journey, which takes him on a harsh course he should just give up and he will be more fortunate

without the suffering of living. . Instead, he ought to stay positive, instead of settling on death

and thinking that is his only way out of this situation. Death isn't something that is decided

either, it is something that happens to you when it is your time to go. No matter how difficult the

hardships become, the answer should always be to be(Shakespeare).

Every human on this earth has a purpose and should recognize that they are blessed with

the life they are given, like Robert Ebert a thyroid cancer victim who perseveres through his

lifes challenges. Roger simply says, Look how happy I am. (Chris Jones). Being happy and
 Hargon 2

content with what you are given is the key to life and can make what you are blessed with

wonderful. Although life is undoubtedly rugged, we can be happy by simply being, Thankful

for the gift of intelligence, and for life, love, wonder, and laughter. (Chris Jones). Think about

the children who are given one meal a day.They are completely content with the meal because

they are so completely thankful for everything they are given.. It should be the same thing with

life. If we are thankful for being and breathing we will start to appreciate life so much more..

Eberts beliefs are the perfect example of how I value life; living it to its fullest no matter the

challenges you may face. If only people would value life as Ebert and I do, people would realize

that hardships are a part of everyday life, and we must persevere and take it one day at a time.

If one person was to know the value of life, it would be my brother. He was diagnosed

with ewing sarcoma brain cancer four years ago and he hasnt given up since the day he was

diagnosed. , Also through this experience I have learned a multitude of lessons about all aspects

of life including how I value life. Through a year of chemotherapy, six months of radiation, and

constant seizures after the treatment, my brother has showed me that when life hands you an

unfortunate situation you must persevere and always stay positive. I am positive that my brother

has experienced extreme difficulty with his health and am moved by his strength to get up each

day and do the best he can with what he has.

On the other hand, Will, in the movie Me Before You, is a paraplegic who prefered

assisted suicide over the life he lived.. He could have had an exciting and adventurous life with

Lou the women he fell in love with and who was committed to helping him live an exciting life..

He simply felt that he had no more purpose because he could no longer pursue his passions to the

extent that he used to. I'm not here to preach about being anti suicide, but why would you choose
 Hargon 3

the option of ending your life if you have no idea what the future may bring? To me calling it

quits is the worst possible thing you could do to yourself and to your loved ones, who would

have to suffer by your non existence. The option of assisted suicide or suicide in general should

never be an option because of how valuable living is.

Life is a beautiful thing that each individual on earth has been blessed with. Everyone has

different opinions but keep in mind that no matter the circumstance, God will never place before

us a task or challenge that is impossible. The bible reads, God is faithful, who will not allow

you to be tempted beyond what you are able(The Holy Bible).This quote in the bible tells us

that God will not push or place in our life what we are not able to handle. Even though our

experiences and hardships may seem as if we may not be able to deal with them e at the time,

tomorrow always brings us a new day. . We as human beings ought to be strong and

acknowledge that we are able to handle all misfortunes that are thrown at us and trust Gods plan

for us.

No, death will never outweigh or exceed life and its value. .No matter how bad our

circumstance may seem at the time, it is not our choice as human beings to take our own life. We

must always persevere and live our life to the fullest. We must realize that God will never give

us what we can't handle. Everyday, he blesses us with our next breath and we should be thankful

for all we have and trust that he has a plan for our life.. Although we can not place a specific

value on life we can all agree that in the end the value of life is living.

Word Count: 1188

 Hargon 4

Citations

1. Jones, Chris. Roger Ebert: The Essential Man. Esquire 16 Feb. 2010. Web.

2. Me Before You. Dir. Thea Sharrock. Perf. Emilia Clarke, Sam Clafin. MGM, 2016. DVD.

3. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Act III, Sc. 1: Hamlets To be, or not to be soliloquy

4. The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments. Trenton: I. Collins, 1791. Print.