Kobe Bryant, famed basketballer and cultural icon, died in a helicopter crash with his daughter and seven other people on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2020. He was the shaper of a generation — when millenials ball up paper and throw it in the trash, the first thing out of their mouth is “Kobe!”
His death was devastating to many. Twitter and Facebook filled with cries about “caring for your loved ones” and “hugging your family while you have the chance.”
This same kind of flash-in-the-pan lust for life is as off-putting and sad as it was when Robin Williams killed himself and people momentarily shouted their support for mental health awareness. Or Chester Bennington. Or Anthony Bourdain. Or Avicii. Or any of the other dozens of celebrities who die every year from accidents, suicides or overdoses.
What is the value of a human life? Does one life mean more than another, simply because of riches or fame?
We use the idea of value to measure nearly everything — products, services, time, personal relationships. There is very little that cannot be given an intrinsic or monetary value.
The value of a life, though, is a constant personal struggle and debate.
Net worth, generally, is calculated by adding liquid cash, land assets and investments together and then subtracting those from debts or liabilities owed. The textbook definition for the value of life is “the benefit of avoiding a fatality,” and according to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s research in 2014, that value is $4.2 million.
Kobe, at the time of his death, was valued at around $500-$600 million.
This calculation does not take into account the things that should truly matter: kindness, selflessness and value brought to personal relationships. By no means do we want to belittle Kobe’s value; he was a good person who gave himself to the community of Los Angeles and the fans who supported him.
So, we should use Kobe’s ideals and the way he lived his life to structure some of our own value. And we shouldn’t wait for someone famous to die to show that we care.
We should love each other in abundance — give each other love, every day. Kindness, after all, is free to give, but priceless to receive.
