From The Eye of The Beholder

We treasure our own lives 

But cannot escape being judged

with different values

From the eye of the beholder

A man is precious 

To his wife and children

Priceless to his parents

But not as much to his friends

And much less to his rivals in the workplace

When he goes to war to fight

From his enemies’ perspectives

He has a negative value  

And should be eliminated

If he encounters a hungry tiger in the jungle

Or falls into the trap of a ruthless man hunter

He has value of a different kind

In the mind of his predators

Even abstract things like time

Meddle with a person’s value

We depreciate with age

And lose all when turned to dust

By Shih-Fang Wang

From: United States