The Sum of All Value
The Sum of Everything Valuable
Imagine somebody buys you a sports car. Let’s say it’s a Lamborghini—it doesn’t really matter. The point is, the fact that the car is incredibly expensive tells us something: on a societal level, it’s valuable. A great deal of people would find something like this desirable—something they want. Hence the price tag.
Now imagine someone gives this car to you, but there’s a catch: you only get it for a year. It’s a gift. There are no conditions. It’s yours to do whatever you want with for that year. You’re not even restricted from damaging it—there’s just a simple time limit. One year.
So what are you going to do with this car? You’ll probably hop in and drive fast. You’ll dress up nice, take it to clubs, restaurants, maybe take people you know out for a spin. You’ll invent reasons to go places you otherwise wouldn’t go—just because you can.
Why? Because you’ve got this amazing thing. And by some unbelievable stroke of luck, it’s yours—for now. So of course, you want to use it. You want to enjoy it while you have it, because you know it won’t last.
You can probably see where I’m going with this.
Now, let’s take your life.
In pretty much every way, it’s the same situation. You didn’t ask for it. You were just given it. So how do we know life is valuable?
Well, one way to look at it: everything else that’s valuable is only valuable within the context of life. That sports car, for example—it only means something because you’re alive to value it. You could argue that life is the most valuable thing there is, because it’s the sum of everything that can be valued.
So the real question becomes: what do you do with life?
And I think, if we follow the analogy, the answer is pretty clear. You make up reasons to live it. Just like you would with the car. You invent things to do. You create meaning and find enjoyment in the time you’ve got, because this is your rare opportunity.
Sitting around intellectualizing about what you should do probably won’t get you very far. It’s only through experience that you start to figure out what you truly want.
So get up. Go outside. Try something that seems even slightly interesting. Even if it sucks, at least you can cross it off your list. Life is the most valuable thing you will ever have—and one day, you won’t have it anymore.
So why not spend it finding out what makes it worthwhile?
At the end of each day, fall into bed completely exhausted—knowing you’re just a little wiser than you were yesterday, through nothing more than experiencing the world around you.