So, what’s your life worth?
Most of us don’t think of our lives in monetary terms, opting instead to place our time on this planet in the priceless category. As mostly civilized and social creatures, this makes sense. Our relationships are crucial to our well-being and our ties to the people closest to us are utterly precious.
But some people do put a price tag on human life. Like Nicael Holt.
You may remember Nicael. The 24-year-old surfer from Wollongong, Australia, put his life up for sale on eBay earlier this year. He got quite a bit of press at the time and bids were said to have reached at least $24,000 and his page drew at least 245,000 hits.
Nicael was pretty upfront about what the winning bidder could expect: name, phone number, some 300 CDs, surfboard, introduction to his roughly 170 friends, birthday party. He also offered training in learning to be the new Nicael, including lessons on his personal history. The winning bidder would have to become a vegetarian but could collect the $20 owed by one friend and the six-pack of beer owed by another.
When the bidding closed, however, Nicael pretty much disappeared from public view. What happened to him and his life?
As near as I can tell, the winning bid actually was just a bit over $6,000 and, according to this post from Nicael, the top bidders developed cold feet at the last minute. It sounds like Nicael is still Nicael and his family history is pretty much intact with the addition of one interesting new chapter.
Still, the question remains: What is your life worth? For a purely scientific perspective on this issue, go here.
Even if you don’t plan on putting your life on the market, it’s a good idea to survey its contents. You may be surprised at how precious it really is.
Larry Lehmer is a personal biographer who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or e-mail him.
Flickr photo courtesy of naturalcourse.
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