How we value life

How a person values life differs from individual to individual. In the Middle East, some people would make their lives valuable by sacrificing themselves for their god, Allah. Here in the United States we might add value to our lives by becoming wealthy or gaining popularity. People probably have different perceptions of what a valuable life is, but one cannot deny that it is a personal opinion. It is something that one can mold to make it one’s own.

Many people ask themselves, what is the true meaning and purpose of life, when do we make this decision, and if life has value. To me, these questions are quite simple to answer. The meaning and purpose of life is your family and your impact on humanity and the world as an individual. It is what you do and what decisions you make that gives value to your life, whatever that action or decision might be. For example, in school, the idea of bringing back cultural day came from a group of students, including myself. This event was not only fun, but it had an impact on the school and its students. It was because of our decisions and what we did to make it happen that made the event meaningful and valuable not only for us, but also for the students and staff.

It is still not clear when this turning-point occurs. People might say that it is part of the coming-of-age process and that it is “a lesson learned in time”. Even though that is true, there is more to it. When a person makes the decision of what is their purpose in life, they usually have a full understanding of death, suffering, racism, politics, and everything bad that happens on our planet. They have to reach that level of maturity where they know what death means or what people have to do to become immortal. They need to have a basic understanding of life, how it works, and how they are going to make an impact on it. One must first go through experiences, good or bad, to be able to decide what one’s purpose in life is. But this decision cannot be made without knowing if life in general has value.

When a person reaches their highest level of maturity, they should know the things they value the most in life, even though there are a few people out there that have not reached that maturity level at the age of 35. When you reach adulthood is when you make that decision. Why? Because it is at that age where you have experienced things that give meaning to your life. For example, my step-mother lost a child at birth. After her baby girl’s death she came to a decision that that was meant to happen because now she’s able to help other parents that have gone through the same thing and help them cope. What happened in 2005 at our own house gave a lot of meaning to my step-mother’s life, as well as everybody’s in the family. It made everybody value life even more and appreciate all that we have, because it could be gone in a blink of an eye.

Life is all about enjoying every second and fulfilling your dreams, hoping that those dreams might have an impact on our world. Many people spend their entire lives looking for their purpose in this world, while others already have set goals and things they want to see and do before they die. Personally, it is hard for me at this age to know what I want to possess or have experienced before I die, because I do not have a clear picture of what’s out there. But there are at least five things I know I would like to have experienced before I reach the end of my life, whenever that might be. I would want to know what true love feels like; I would like to overcome all the obstacles that are put in front of me for me to succeed; I would like to spend most of my time with my family and watch my brother’s grow-up and become successful men. I would like to experience motherhood, and finally, I would like to be a part of something, a team, an organization, or an event, that might change people’s perspective on the world. These five things I did not pick from a hat; they are things that are meaningful and valuable to me personally and that will give meaning to my life in the future. Overcoming obstacles has become a big part of my life, especially being a minority. I came to this school, scared of the unknown, and look at where I am now, close to graduating and planning on expanding my education. My success in overcoming these obstacles has had a big impact on humanity in general, including my family. Now my brothers say that they want to have as many medals and certificates as I have when they grow up. My cousin now calls me every year to help her out with her science fair project. Not only that but I know I’m also going to serve as an inspiration to young Puerto Rican girls, letting them known that everything is possible. Experiencing motherhood has been something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl. Experiencing this will be meaningful to me because I’ve seen how rewarding it is to raise a child and see them succeed in life. Many things come along with motherhood and I will not let that opportunity go by. The other idea that will be valuable in my life is being part of something that will cause a change in the world. For example, if I play college basketball, I will give Hispanic high school girls hope that they are also able to succeed and follow their dreams. Many closed-minded people think that Hispanics or Latinos are not smart enough to go to college or become professionals. Knowing that by me going to college I’m going to change how people think we’re failure, gives me a great feeling of success, thus giving meaning to my life.

You have to make life worthwhile or else, what’s the point of living. If you are given the gift of being alive right now, why not take advantage of it? Life is not everlasting and that’s why we should enjoy every second we have in this world, whatever that means. Just do as James Dean once said, “Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.”