What’s a Life Worth?

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We commonly say lives are invaluable and saving a life, any life, is worth any effort, any expense. But do we mean it?

The concept of assigning a price tag to a life has always made people intensely squeamish. Who assigns the value?

I’ll look at the birth of my two sons. I would have done anything to protect and save their live, at any personal cost. Anything.

We had insurance that covered prenatal care, their birth and some small amount of infant care after they were born. But if either of them had some birth defect or a disease, I would have had to go deep into my own pockets to save or cure either of my boys and I would have willingly done so.

Even though a parent barely knows their newborn, they would go to extremes to save or help them. I would have gotten a second job, asked my church or family for help, taken a second or third out on my home or sold everything, so they could live and enjoy life. I would like to think most parents share that sentiment.

After we raised our little guys, watched them grow, play and love, learn and entertain us, in their teens, drugs came into play. At that point, they are a little “you know what” lying to your face, stealing everything not nailed down, worrying you sick, and embarrassing you, or like my mom used to say causing her hair to go gray.

Once their lives were priceless. Now they need help. What’s their life worth now?

Many of us don’t want or care to get charity, or do fundraisers or ask family to help. But you would have before to save their life.

For two decades, my family watched me self-destruct. Yet how’s this for love? At 53 years of age, my parents paid for me to get treatment. Talk about high risk for failure after 40 years of alcoholism and drugs. Yet my life was valuable to them. Thank God I was a life worth saving!

AUTHOR

Ray Clauson

Ray spent years raising a family and working as a fisherman in the Pacific Northwest. He changed his career path and has now dedicated his life to drug education and spreading the word that there is a way to live a successful, drug free life.

NARCONON NEW LIFE RETREAT

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION