The Value of a Life

Yesterday i woke up to a world without Heath Ledger.  I know this to be true because within a few minutes of his death around 3.30 est pm i received numerous texts alerting me to the news.  Friends from all over sent me texts, "OMG! Heath Ledger Dead!!!!"  My contacts raced from all over the globe to deliver this bit of information not because i have any affinity for Heath Ledger myself but more because they wanted to be the bearer of breaking news.  Its as if we have become our own news organization with the abilities to email, text, IM, phone (trade) information through various formats at the press of a button. 

So as i awoke and signed on to CNN.com i saw the headlines splattered all over their front page "Heath Ledger Autopsy Inconclusive" accompanied by a handsome picture of the recently deceased.  I though to myself that celebrities who die always have "inconclusive" autopsies.  Its as if no autopsy in the history of celebridom have ever bore immediate results.  Thus now we are sitting on the edge of our seats eagerly awaiting the news, the sequel of Mr. Ledgers Death.

"Stay tuned to see if it was a tragic mistake, a drug overdose, a bad heart"  etc etc... 

Then it dawned on me... This must be considered rather big news for it to be the major headline from all over the world that it landed on the CNN.com.  I then signed on to BBC.co.uk to see what their coverage was like.  Immediately i was bombarded with news regarding the rigged elections in Kenya and ensuing violent demonstrations, violence in the middle east, italian politics, democrats debate in south carolina, sporting news regarding football (soccer) and cricket.  I was beginning to think that the callous international community didn't care about this tragic loss of life.  Considering he is one of theirs, an Aussie, not even and American - i was quite surprised.  Just as i was about to give up, scrolling down various other news feeds, i found what i was looking for; A small headline that read "Memorial: Heath Ledger in Pictures" with a small accompanying thumbnail.  You could only imagine my relief.  The Brits aren't so callous after all. 

So then i wondered... out of all the things going on in out country, in our world, what is it that makes us value the loss of one life as valuable information over the loss of 50 Africans who were most recently burned alive in a church in Kenya?  What makes his death more valuable then a debate amongst our potential national leaders that will hopefully begin to drag us out of the monumental hole that we have dug ourselves in over the last decade? 

There is something to be said for ledgers role in Brokeback Mountain but i think there is something more to be said about us that we value his death more then those numerous deaths in Africa and more importantly those who are still alive and need our help.