The Value of Life by Aya Mounir

The Value of Life

 Once up on a time, a young boy asked his father, “Father what is the value of my life?” Instead of answering, the father demanded his son take a stone to the market to sell it.  “And if anyone asks you the price, raise two fingers without uttering a word.” The young boy went to the market. A woman asked him, “How much is that stone? I want it for my garden.” He did not say a word but raised two fingers. The lady said, “Two dollars? I will buy it.” The boy went back home and told his father about the woman who wanted to buy the stone for two dollars.

 Then the father said, “Son, I would like you to take that stone to a museum.  If anyone asks you about the price don’t say a word, just raise two fingers.” The boy did as he was told and went to the museum. The manager asked him the price and he raised two fingers again. The manager said, “Two hundred dollars? I will buy it.” Hearing the price the boy was astonished. He ran to his father and told him the story. The father continued, “The last place I want you to take the same stone is to a precious stone shop.  Show it to the owner.  If he asks the price, do the same and raise two fingers.” Following the father’s request, the boy went to the shop, revealed the stone to the owner who asked, “Where did you find this stone? It is one of the most rare stones in the world. I should buy it from you! How much are you selling it for?” The young boy raised two fingers. The shop owner said,  “I will buy it for two hundred thousand dollars!”

The boy was so surprised he did not know what to answer. He ran straight back to his father and said, “Father, the man wants to buy the stone for two hundred thousand dollars!”

The father said, “Son, do you know the value of your life now? You see, where you come from, where you were born, the colour of your skin, or how rich you are, none of these things matter. What really matters is where you decide to put yourself, who you surround yourself with and the manner with which you treat yourself. You might have spent your life thinking you are a stone worth two dollars. You might have lived within a community who valued you as only two dollars. But each one of us carries a diamond within. We choose to surround ourselves with people who see our value and see the diamond within us. We can choose to put ourselves in the precious stone shop. We can also choose to see the value of others or, more than that, help them see the diamond inside them.

Be wise about choosing whom you surround yourself with.