
Originally Posted by
Metalject
Are certain lives more valuable than others? The initial response by most would be no, that each life is just as valuable as another. If that's the case, why does everything in our society say differently? Here are some examples:
1. If I walk into a room and kill the first person I see, I will be arrested and sentenced harshly. If I walk into the same room, kill the first person I see and that person is a police officer, I will receive a much harsher sentence.
2. If a leader, be it political or in business dies, a large portion of society mourns his loss. This man could have been, let's just say "subpar" when it comes to his family and personal relationships, but he did contribute to society as a whole in some way. And that same day another man dies, a regular man who made little to no impact on society in terms of what we all see. He was loved by his family and friends, a good man, but other than his immediate family no one really mourns his loss.
3. Ten people die tragically, let's say due to some type of terrorist or criminal act. Ten lives are cut tragically short. That same day in the same city, ten people die of cancer, ten lives are cut tragically short. Regardless of what kind of people these twenty people were, people will mourn the ten that lost their life to tragic violence far more than the other ten; in fact, in comparison it will be immeasurable.
Personally, I think we have a warped view of the value of life, and I think all three of the examples above show this warped view. In any of the deaths above, I cannot see how one is more meaningful in terms of who that person was. Am I wrong? Do we have a warped sense of the value of life or do we see and view things properly?