The Value of Life

I have often heard that "all life is valuable." I am far too ignorant a philosopher to begin unpacking that statement nor do I dare set foot in the sea of religion for surely I would tread water and slowly begin to sink. So I'll stick with what I'm good at...biology.

It is an unmistakable fact that every second of our existence animals die.

There are billions of life forms on this wonderful planet of ours and each one serves a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is born out in brilliant clarity, oftentimes though it remains obscure or disregarded. Regardless of the mark, nature is interminable. From death is born life. To put this in biological terms, there is a perfect cycle that remains constant and unbroken, with each trophic level living because of the sacrifices of the one below. It is the ever-poetic "circle of life".

To put it plainly, nothing in nature goes to waste. If an animal dies, it mostly likely brings life to another, though almost assuredly in different form. This is the fascination that make most biologists tick, striving to understand and perpetuate the intricate web that we call an ecosystem. This is why so often, biologists appears harsh in their determination of the life or death of individuals animals. It is because the whole feeds the system and is therefore, more important. Thus, individuals play a insignificant role when considering the entire populations (species).

But, from a biological standpoint, when do individuals count?

Obviously when the whole is so grossly distorted that each individual is necessary for the existence of the species. For example, a few decades ago California condor numbers dipped to a precarious low of 22 animals. Each and every condor mattered, each individual held tremendous value.

But what about animals that are in no apparent danger and whose overall numbers are growing?

In biological terms, that individual appear to hold less value. And biologically speaking it may...

BUT...

...what if that single individual animal can raise the awareness and consciousness of the most impactful and detrimental species known to earth?

To possibly make them more informed...

more responsible...

and more concerned...

about the wonderful web in which we live. 

That is a value that simply can not be measured.